Computerized Reminders for Syphilis Screening in an Urban Emergency Department

Point of care reminders have been shown to be effective in changing ordering behavior in primary care settings, but electronic reminders in the emergency department have not been studied. We retrospectively evaluated a computerized system designed to prompt syphilis testing in an emergency department during an outbreak. Most individual reminders were not followed by a test. However, there was a marked general increase in syphilis testing.