RT Journal
A1 Shehab N, Budnitz DS
T1 TIme to change the paradigm—from “potentially inappropriate” to real patient harms
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2011
FD March 14
VO 171
IS 5
SP 473
OP 474
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.48
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.48
AB 
The recent study by Mattison et al1 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in potentially inappropriate (Beers criteria) medication (PIM) orders for hospitalized older patients after the introduction of a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) warning system; however, the authors provided no evidence that patient harms were reduced or outcomes were improved as a result of PIM warnings. Thus, we disagree with their conclusions that a reduction from 12 to 10 PIM orders per day is clinically significant, and we caution against overreliance on CPOE warnings of PIM use as a “tool for improving the safety of hospitalized older adults.”1(p1336)