CPOE

CPOE, or computerized physician order entry, is a health information technology that allows clinicians to enter patient care orders electronically. It is typically integrated into an electronic health record or hospital information system and replaces handwritten or verbal orders for medications, laboratory tests, imaging, and other services. Orders are transmitted to the appropriate departments such as pharmacy, radiology, or the laboratory for processing and execution. Many CPOE systems include hard stops and order set templates to support standardization.

A core feature is clinical decision support. This includes alerts for allergies, drug–drug interactions, contraindications, and dosage ranges, as well as tools for renal or hepatic dosing adjustments, pregnancy considerations, and guideline-based recommendations. Formulary checks and prompts for missing clinical information or duplicative therapy are common. CPOE is frequently paired with barcode medication administration to verify the patient, drug, and dose at the point of care.

Benefits of CPOE include reduced transcription errors and illegible handwriting, improved adherence to guidelines, and faster delivery of orders. However, realized benefits depend on system design and implementation. Challenges include alert fatigue from CDS warnings, workflow disruption during adoption, the risk of new types of errors, downtime during maintenance, and substantial costs for deployment, interoperability, and training.

CPOE is widely used in inpatient settings and increasingly in outpatient care. It is considered a central component of modern electronic prescribing and health information systems, often serving as the backbone for broader clinical decision support and integrated patient safety initiatives.