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Mandatory electronic prescriptions?

Prescriptor's top priority is to support the primary concern of prescribers: the care for a patient! Communication with other healthcare providers, including pharmacists, is necessary for the delivery of medication within the chain of care. Many healthcare facilities prioritise medication delivery, followed by the shortest route to a prescription.

Electronic prescriptions have become an accepted procedure during the past 30 years. It was often the initiative of the recipient (e.g. a pharmacist), rather than the sender's (e.g. the prescriber). This is not surprising as physicians in healthcare facilities, unlike general practitioners, seldom kept an EHR .

Safety

Medication safety has become increasingly important in healthcare facilities, in addition to rational and effective pharmacotherapy. Polypharmacy, special guidelines and treatment options for the elderly and avoidable or prolonged hospitalisation following medication have become important issues. This requires knowledge management and specific support on the workfloor. IT support is crucial today.

'Solely' processing prescriptions (so-called 'order entry') is no longer sufficient. The challenge is to simultaneously improve both quality and safety of pharmacotherapy within a healthcare facility, and not only to send a digital prescription as an 'electronic shopping list' to the pharmacy computer.

Prescriptor takes this challenge very seriously; the prescription module being an important link within the chain of clinical systems. First and foremost, Prescriptor is seamlessly integrated in the physician's EHR. Relevant patient characteristics are (temporarily) exchanged between EHR and Prescriptor, to support a rational and problem-based application of pharmacotherapeutic guidelines. This link allows medication safety monitoring with regard to interactions, contraindications, double medication and allergies.

Personal preferences

In addition to a reference base of guidelines, Prescriptor also offers an additional solution. Physicians can take knowledge management into their own hands, in collaboration with pharmacists, using the so-called wizard and seek alliance with neighbouring healthcare chains or local groups. This makes it possible to include local agreements, unique therapy options and potential cost-efficient regional and/or local preferences into the system.

Information (in Dutch):
R.F. Brenninkmeijer, 'Elektronische toepassing van formularia in de praktijk. Naar groepsgebonden, rationeel voorschrijven. Pharmaceutisch Weekblad, 2005 (5): 164-167. http://www.pw.nl/upload/2005PW0164.pdf