ISHN Healthwatch: E-prescribing useful, but needs improvement
Study finds renewals problematic
The old joke about doctors' handwriting being difficult to read may become a quaint relic of the comedic past if electronic prescribing fulfills its potential, although a new study warns that some problems still need to be worked out before that can happen.
E-prescribing is generally viewed as a time- and money-saver that can streamline the perscription process and, yes, reduce medication errors caused by the aforementioned illegible handwritten prescriptions. Despite this, a study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that while the electonic transmission of new prescriptions is getting good reviews, prescription renewals, connectivity between physician offices and mail-order pharmacies, and manual entry of certain prescription information by pharmacists—particularly drug name, dosage form, quantity, and patient instructions—continue to pose problems.