SAN MATEO, CALIF., DECEMBER 9, 2005
Brigham and Women's Hospital Study Shows Doctors are Taking Action to Improve Patient Safety and Care
Epocrates Solutions Used Frequently for Significant Impact
A new study shows that physicians are successfully using personal digital assistants (PDAs) with decision support software to improve the practice of medicine. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, found that physicians believe Epocrates products help improve patient safety and care on a daily basis.
Preliminary study results, recently presented at the American Medical Informatics Association’s 2005 Annual Symposium in Washington, D.C., found that physicians reported using Epocrates clinical reference products five times a day to review dosing, drug interactions and disease diagnosis and treatment recommendations. More than 60 percent of physicians reported that using the Epocrates Rx drug reference reduced the likelihood of an adverse drug event or medication error three or more times a month. Additionally, respondents reported that the use of the Epocrates Dx disease reference and Epocrates ID infectious disease treatment guide help improve the quality and delivery of patient care beyond the drug reference.
“The preliminary survey data and usage patterns are encouraging because it demonstrates that physicians are proactively employing a solution they believe improves patient safety,” said Jeffrey M. Rothschild MD, MPH, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. “The results show that physicians value the benefits and the depth of clinical resources and information that PDA-based medical applications such as Epocrates provides in their practice.”
The study also found that clinicians use Epocrates to stay current with the latest clinical research and information, which is a key factor in delivering optimal patient care. The respondents rated Epocrates DocAlerts, timely news and clinical messages delivered to their PDA, as a valuable way to keep up-to-date on public health warnings, drug recall alerts and new patient safety information.
“The study results support what many of our customers already believe — patients are directly benefiting from their routine use of our reference applications, DocAlert messages and mobile medical education,” said Edward Fang, MD, editor-in-chief for Epocrates. “We have seen more and more clinicians embracing medical decision-support software over the last few years, and we will continue to develop products that support their goal of providing the best patient care.”
The 1,500 physician respondents were an average of 47-years-old and have used Epocrates products for approximately four years, indicating that seasoned physicians have embraced the benefits of mobile medical technology. Furthermore, nearly 40 percent of respondents use their PDAs for at least half of their patient encounters, indicating that handheld clinical references are now an integral part of physicians’ workflow.
“Epocrates helps me and my colleagues take better care of our patients. With the concise information in Epocrates, I can quickly and confidently arrive at diagnoses, set treatment plans, educate my patients and get them on their way,” said Paul Wein, MD, Beth Israel Medical Center.
The study, a follow-up to a 2001 Brigham and Women’s evaluation of Epocrates Rx free drug reference, show that physicians continue to value the benefits of using PDAs in their practice.
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