The efficiency–thoroughness trade-off after implementation of electronic medication management: a qualitative study in paediatric oncology

Abstract

Abstract Objective The efficiency–thoroughness trade-off (ETTO) principle proposes that people and organizations are often required to make a trade-off between being efficient and being thorough, as it is difficult to be both efficient and thorough at the same time. This study aimed to compare pre- electronic medication management system (EMMS) expectation of how an EMMS is likely to impact on efficiency and thoroughness to post-EMM experiences of an EMMS and the ETTO. Design Qualitative interview study. Setting A paediatric oncology cancer centre in a large paediatric tertiary teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia. Participants Forty-four semi-structured interviews with doctors, nurses and pharmacists six months prior to and two years following implementation of an EMMS. Results Prior to EMM implementation, staff identified a number of areas of work where both efficiency and thoroughness were expected to improve with EMM. These included ease of accessibility of the medication record, and organization and legibility of medication information. Following EMMS implementation, staff reported improvements in these areas. However, the EMMS was perceived to drive thoroughness (safety) benefits at the expense of efficiency (time). Measures to improve safety in the EMMS enforced processes that required time, such as medication double-checking procedures. Conclusions Overall, staff were aware of the competitive interplay between thoroughness and efficiency and reported that introduction of an EMMS had imposed processes that favoured improvements in thoroughness at the expense of efficiency.