The effects of introducing an electronic prescription system with no copayments

Implementation of Computerized Physician Order Entry in Primary Care: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

This scoping review aimed to assess the implementation and outcomes of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in primary care.

METHODS

A scoping review was carried out in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute's guidelines (JBI). The databases PubMed, CINAHL, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were all searched. The full text of each article was reviewed for eligibility after the title and abstract were evaluated. JBI data extraction were used to extract data. Donabedian's framework served as the foundation for the data discussion.

RESULTS

Based on the inclusion criteria, seven studies were included. The studies' main goal in common was to analyze the outcome or impact of implementing CPOE systems in ambulatory or primary care settings. Several studies described the framework, current state of implementation, and evaluation or recommendation following CPOE system implementation. Many positive effects were felt by physicians or prescribers, pharmacists, patients, and primary care providers, with patient safety being the primary goal.

CONCLUSION

Although this study discovered some issues and factors associated with CPOE implementation and adoption, such as infrastructure, workflow, level of engagement, and safety culture, CPOE has many positive outcomes for patients, physicians, and primary care. To improve CPOE adoption in healthcare, particularly primary care, more research into the structure, framework, and components of CPOE deployment is required.

Evaluation of Transition to Electronic Prescriptions in Turkey: Perspective of Family Physicians

Background: One of the most important steps of the health transformation program involves the application of electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions) in health services. Information technologies are highly important in generating e-prescriptions, which can be described as a document produced by authorized personnel electronically, containing written information and instructions regarding a patient’s medication and its usage. E-prescribing has become increasingly applied in recent years as a contributing application to prescribers and patients. The aim of this study was to determine the level of satisfaction of family physicians providing primary care in Turkey regarding the application of e-prescriptions, and reveal the related positive effects and problems encountered in the first months of implementation of e-prescribing.

Methods: A questionnaire with eight questions was sent to e-mails of all family physicians working in Turkey in May 2013. A total of 1564 family physicians filled in the questionnaire form and sent it back by e-mail. The responses to openended questions were evaluated by content analysis.

Results: It was observed that the most frequently indicated advantages of the application of e-prescriptions were speeding up the prescription process and saving time (36.6%). The most commonly reported problems regarding the application of e-prescriptions were found to be system-induced problems (26.5%) and internet problems (19.9%). In addition, the mean score of satisfaction of the family physicians who did not report problems with the application of e-prescriptions was higher than that of those who reported having problems with it. In the study, 77.8% of the family physicians were satisfied with the application of e-prescriptions.

Conclusion: Although some problems were reported regarding the application of e-prescriptions in the first months of the application, family physicians participated in the study were found to be satisfied with the application of e-prescriptions, and identified positive effects on their work and processes.