Physicians’ Use of the Computerized Physician Order Entry System for Medication Prescribing: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems in health care settings have many benefits for prescribing medication, such as improved quality of patient care and patient safety. However, to achieve their full potential, the factors influencing the usage of CPOE systems by physicians must be identified and understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify the factors influencing the usage of CPOE systems by physicians for medication prescribing in their clinical practice. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of the literature on this topic using four databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase. Searches were performed from September 2019 to December 2019. The retrieved papers were screened by examining the titles and abstracts of relevant studies; two reviewers screened the full text of potentially relevant papers for inclusion in the review. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies with the aim of conducting assessments or investigations of factors influencing the use of CPOE for medication prescribing among physicians were included. The identified factors were grouped based on constructs from two models: the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model and the Delone and McLean Information System Success Model. We used the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool to assess the quality of the included studies and narrative synthesis to report the results. RESULTS: A total of 11 articles were included in the review, and 37 factors related to the usage of CPOE systems were identified as the factors influencing how physicians used CPOE for medication prescribing. These factors represented three main themes: individual, technological, and organizational. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the common factors that influenced the usage of CPOE systems by physicians for medication prescribing regardless of the type of setting or the duration of the use of a system by participants. Our findings can be used to inform implementation and support the usage of the CPOE system by physicians.