Description (short summary):
Over the past 150 years, the advancements in medicine, public health and the delivery of care have been nothing short of breathtaking. Feats have been routinely achieved that were virtually unthinkable even a generation ago. But one facet persists: paper. A way has to be figured out to move beyond paper record keeping. However, electronic prescribing (eprescribing) is a technology whose time has come. It is the one technology where all of the key barriers to its adoption are being addressed and progress has been made:

• Experiences prove that e-prescribing saves lives and saves money;
• The technology is inexpensive, and there are many partnerships that offer no-cost solutions to physicians and providers;
• There is a secure, nationwide infrastructure to exchange data;
• Many technical standards have been finalized to achieve uniformity of data transmission; and
• Certification by industry leaders ensures security, privacy and interoperability with hundreds of vendors and products.

This is not to say that challenges do not remain. There are significant, yet achievable steps to the widespread acceptance and use of e-prescribing:

• Bridging the gulf between the technology and incentives to its adoption;
• Implementing technology that meets the needs of physicians and providers;
• Finalizing remaining data standards; and,
• Allowing controlled substances to be prescribed electronically.
  

The paper refers to two ePrescribing case studies from Germany and Bulgaria.

Original URL:
http://www.ehealthnews.eu/content/view/1418/65/

Number of pages:
34

Nature of documentation: Independent reports and studies