Order sets utilization in a clinical order entry system.

An order set is a predefined template that has been utilized in the standard care of hospitals for many years. While in the past, it took the form of pen and paper, today, it is, indeed, electronic. Within order sets are distinct ordering patterns that may yield fruitful results for clinicians and informaticians, alike. Protocols like there electronic counterpart, order sets, provide an 'indication' identifying the clinical scenario of the patient's condition when the ordering event occurred. This 'indication' is rarely captured by individual orders, and provides difficult challenges to developers of information systems. While mandating an 'indication' be entered for every medication or lab order makes the job much more tasking on the physician provider, it is appealing to researchers and accountants. We have attempted to bypasses that consideration by identifying ordering patterns that predict diagnostic related codes (DRGs) and diagnostic codes which would greatly facilitate the information gathering process and still provide a flexible and user friendly physician interface.