ABSTRACT
Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) with embedded clinical decision support (CDS) has been shown to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care, reduce errors and increase adherence to evidence-based care guidelines [1], [2], [3], [4] and [5]. Many CPOE systems allow for the use of order sets, collections of clinically related orders grouped together for convenience and efficiency. Order sets may be designed for a wide variety of clinical scenarios including any type of hospital admission (e.g. cardiology admission), condition (e.g. myocardial infarction), symptom (e.g. chest pain), procedure (e.g. angiography), or treatment (e.g. chemotherapy). Such tools have existed in paper form for many years – long before the advent of electronic medical records or CPOE – and continue to be used today [6], [7] and [8]. However, CPOE allows order sets to be deployed more widely and consistently across the hospital setting. For the purpose of this paper, we consider an “order set” to be a collection of orders designed around a specific clinical purpose and intended to be used together. This differs from an “order pick list” which lists related orders
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