Order sets have been used in medicine for a considerable period of time, initially as written documents developed at a very local level, and more recently as evolving documents that can be shared among institutions used web-based tools. Most recently, they have been incorporated into electronic patient record-keeping systems and even tied to online evidence from the literature.

This analysis reveals that there are benefits to sharing in the development and application of orders sets and to standardizing them as much as possible. It is also important to ensure that users at a local level participate in reviewing and adopting the order sets, to ensure that they are well-suited to the local needs and to facilitate adoption. Electronic implementation brings specific benefits; modifications can be shared widely with colleagues, and compliance can be monitored on an ongoing basis without resorting to retrospective chart reviews. It is important to involve practitioners in the development and implementation of order sets at any level, to maximize user adoption.

Order Sets Full Report
Date of issue: July 2009

OHTAC Recommendations
Date of issue: January 2010