ePrescribing: An Important Part of Medication

Abstract

ePrescribing is the next service tool that will enable pharmacists and providers the ability to manage a patient’s current and historical medications. Allowing the provider to easily send an electronic prescription directly to the pharmacist will help eliminate errors in prescribing, reduce fraud and narcotic abuse, decrease the waiting time at the clinic and pharmacy, and focus on patient safety and continuity of care. Going to the doctor can sometimes be tough when your community does not have a permanent provider in the community. Time is taken to get an appointment, explain your medical history to a travelling locum, and then get a prescription. The patient then needs to go to the local or closest pharmacy and wait again for the prescription to be filled. A patient can wait for up to two hours for the whole process to be completed. There has to be a more efficient way to get the proper information, access and care the patient needs. Between 2009 and 2014, there were approximately 655 deaths reported from fentanyl overdoses in Canada.  With ePrescribing, the patient will never touch the prescription, hence minimising the risk of multiple prescriptions being filled. Instant messaging between the provider and pharmacist will save on fax and phone communication, and allow the right information to be communicated promptly to the right person. The instant communication between a provider and pharmacist can ensure that the drug being prescribed is not going to interact with other medications and ensure that the patient has not already filled the prescription. The pharmacist can also give details on the current course of medication, and inform the provider if the patient is covered by their current insurance. While a patient’s healthcare record is changing from paper to an electronic format, we need to ensure we are providing the tools necessary to help healthcare providers attain the best healthcare for patients. Hence optimal use of ePrescribing will ultimately reduce medication error rates and other safety risks.