California hospitals adopt technology.

More than one-third of California hospitals will implement three or more technology solutions by 2005, according to the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF). CPOE topped the list at 46 percent. Pharmacy information systems followed close behind with 44 percent, and 38 percent of facilities will bring in auto-dispense units for medication. Fortyfive percent of hospitals plan to introduce two technology solutions within the next two years. A recent CHCF report examined safety plans of some 344 hospitals--about 84 percent of plans submitted to the state Department of Health Services in response to California's Medication Safety Bill, passed three years ago. Just 15 percent of facilities win deploy bar code systems at the point of care within two years, and only 10 percent expect to introduce PDAs for caregivers.

While the legislation encouraged many hospitals to submit action plans to improve patient safety, many struggle with finding effective ways to measure error-reduction strategies. "Hospitals rose to the occasion when they developed their plans. Now they must effectively implement them and demonstrate they are making significant gains," said Bruce Spurlock, M.D., lead report author. For instance, few hospitals directly measure detection or error reduction, and their plans "rarely describe" detailed criteria for a successful program, according to the report. Moreover, few plans discuss to what extent physicians participate in such programs.

For a copy of "Legislating Medication Safety: The California Experience," go to www.rsleads.com/312ht-210.