Ten years after the Institute of Medicine released its influential report "To Err Is Human" (www.iom.edu/en/Reports/1999/To-Err-is-Human-Building-A-Safer-Health-System.aspx), hospital care still has many safety problems, and the quality of care remains lower than it should be in many institutions.

Hospitals could improve both quality and patient safety by using health information technology to standardize the processes of care and to ensure that vital information is available to clinicians when they need it. However, electronic health record (EHR) systems are multi-faceted and challenging to implement in acute-care settings, and few health care facilities have complete EHRs. As an initial step toward the automation of patient care, about 10 percent of U.S. hospitals have implemented computerized physician order entry (CPOE), which includes medication orders and orders for laboratory and imaging tests, as well as the ability to view test results and medication lists. While this falls short of a complete EHR, which also incorporates clinical documentation, CPOE, when it is properly implemented and utilized, represents a giant step toward better patient care.

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