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Uptake of electronic prescribing in community-based practices.

ABSTRACT: Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) has the potential to improve the safety and efficiency of medication use, but uptake of e-prescribing in community-based settings has been limited to date. In April 2004, 2 large insurers in Massachusetts began a program to fund e-prescribing systems for targeted clinicians and practices. We studied the adoption and uptake of e-prescribing by the targeted prescribers.We obtained data on all e-prescriptions written from April 2004 to March 2005. We tabulated the number of clinicians using the e-prescribing system and the number of prescriptions written. We also obtained claims data from the 2 insurance companies and calculated the proportion of each clinician's prescriptions that were written electronically. We developed multivariable models to estimate the impact of different clinician characteristics on the proportional rate of e-prescribing.During the first 12 months of the e-prescribing program, 1,217 prescribers began using the e-prescribing system. In the final month of the study, over 55,000 e-prescriptions were written for patients covered by the 2 included insurance plans. The proportion of total reimbursed claims per clinician written electronically increased slowly during the study period and was still below 30% by the end of the study period. This number increased to 42% when we restricted the sample to medications normally used for acute indications. Multivariable models showed that younger clinicians, pediatricians, and prescribers in larger practices exhibited higher uptake rates as a proportion of total prescriptions.Clinician use of e-prescribing increased steadily in the first 12 months of an initiative sponsoring e-prescribing systems. Uptake of e-prescribing was only partial, with younger clinicians and pediatricians more likely to use the system. Research to understand why prescribers vary in their use of e-prescribing and to develop techniques to encourage more wide-spread adoption will be an important priority for future studies.

SUBMITTER: Fischer MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2359526 | biostudies-other | 2008 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Although electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) holds promise for preventing prescription errors in the ambulatory setting, research on its effectiveness is inconclusive.To assess the impact of a stand-alone e-prescribing system on the rates and types of ambulatory prescribing errors.Prospective, non-randomized study using pre-post design of 15 providers who adopted e-prescribing with concurrent controls of 15 paper-based providers from September 2005 through June 2007.Use of a commercial, stand-alone e-prescribing system with clinical decision support including dosing recommendations and checks for drug-allergy interactions, drug-drug interactions, and duplicate therapies.Prescribing errors were identified by a standardized prescription and chart review.We analyzed 3684 paper-based prescriptions at baseline and 3848 paper-based and electronic prescriptions at one year of follow-up. For e-prescribing adopters, error rates decreased nearly sevenfold, from 42.5 per 100 prescriptions (95% confidence interval (CI), 36.7-49.3) at baseline to 6.6 per 100 prescriptions (95% CI, 5.1-8.3) one year after adoption (p < 0.001). For non-adopters, error rates remained high at 37.3 per 100 prescriptions (95% CI, 27.6-50.2) at baseline and 38.4 per 100 prescriptions (95% CI, 27.4-53.9) at one year (p = 0.54). At one year, the error rate for e-prescribing adopters was significantly lower than for non-adopters (p < 0.001). Illegibility errors were very high at baseline and were completely eliminated by e-prescribing (87.6 per 100 prescriptions at baseline for e-prescribing adopters, 0 at one year).Prescribing errors may occur much more frequently in community-based practices than previously reported. Our preliminary findings suggest that stand-alone e-prescribing with clinical decision support may significantly improve ambulatory medication safety.ClinicalTrials.gov, Taconic Health Information Network and Community (THINC), NCT00225563, http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00225563?term=Kaushal&rank=6 .

Project description:BackgroundElectronic prescribing (e-prescribing) technology was introduced as an alternative to handwritten prescriptions allowing health care professionals to send prescriptions directly to pharmacies. While the technology has many advantages, such as improving pharmacy workflow and reducing medication errors, some limitations have been realized.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine the frequency, type, and contributing factors of e-prescribing quality-related incidents reported to two national error-reporting databases in the United States.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of voluntarily reports of e-prescribing quality-related incidents. A quantitative and qualitative analysis was conducted of incidents reported between 2011 and 2015 to the Pharmacy Quality Commitment (PQC) and the Pharmacy Provider e-prescribing Experience Reporting Portal (PEER) databases. For the qualitative analysis, events were combined from the PQC and PEER portal and a 10% random sample of events were analyzed.ResultsA total of 589 events were reported to the PEER Portal. Of these, problems with patient directions were the most frequent incident type (n = 210) of which 10% (n = 21) reached the patient. Quantity selection (n = 158) and drug selection (n = 96) were the next most frequently reported events, 20% of which reached the patient. The PQC system received 550 reports. The most frequent event type reported to this system was incorrect directions (23.3%, n = 128) followed by incorrect prescriber (17%), incorrect drug (15%), and incorrect strength (12%). The most common theme in the qualitative analysis was a perceived increased likelihood of patient receiving incorrect drug therapy due to e-prescribing. Another theme identified included confusion and frustration of pharmacy personnel as result of e-prescription quality-related events.ConclusionThe use of qualitative and quantitative incident data revealed that patient directions and quantity selection were the most common quality issues with e-prescribing. In turn, this may increase the likelihood of patients receiving incorrect drug therapy.

Project description:ImportanceThe majority of US states have passed mandates requiring the use of electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) as a tool to reduce rates of opioid prescribing. It is not known whether increasing use of EPCS will have the intended effect.ObjectiveTo assess the association between use of EPCS and trends in opioid prescribing.Design, setting, and participantsIn this retrospective, longitudinal cohort study of all patients and prescribers in the 50 US states and the District of Columbia from 2010 to 2018, changes in state-level use of EPCS and concurrent changes in opioid prescribing in each state are described. Then the association between changes in the use of EPCS and opioid prescribing are estimated using state and year fixed-effects models that include covariates for policy change and state demographic change. Data Analysis was performed on May 5, 2020.Main outcomes and measuresThe proportion of controlled substances in each state prescribed using EPCS based on opioid prescriptions per 100 persons and morphine milligram equivalents (MME) of opioids.ResultsIn 2018, the population-weighted percent of opioids prescribed using EPCS was 27%, up from 0% as of 2013. National rates of opioid prescriptions decreased from 78 prescriptions per 100 persons in 2013 to 53 in 2018. Over the same period, there was a decrease from 64 071 MME per 100 persons in 2013 to 40 906 MME per 100 persons in 2018, representing 36% of the 2013 level. By 2018, EPCS increased to 69.4% in states with mandates for its use and 23.6% in states without mandates. In multivariable models, a 10 percentage-point increase in the use of EPCS was associated with an additional 2 prescriptions per 100 persons (95% CI, 1.3-2.8) and a 0.8% (95% CI, 0.06%-1.5%) increase in MME per 100 persons.Conclusions and relevanceThese data suggest that an increased use of EPCS was not associated with decreased opioid prescribing or a decrease in the amount prescribed and may have been associated with a small increase in opioid prescribing. Opioid prescribing is associated with a variety of social and public health factors, and thus, despite the appeal, EPCS adoption alone may be insufficient to reduce opioid prescribing. Policy makers should consider levers to ensure that EPCS is integrated with outside data and that information is actively used to inform prescribing decisions.

Project description:BackgroundElectronic prescriptions are often created and delivered electronically to the pharmacy while paper-based/handwritten prescriptions may be delivered to the pharmacy by the patients. These differences in the mode of creation and transmission of the two types of prescription could influence the rate at which outpatients fill new prescriptions of previously untried medications.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate literatures to determine the impact of electronic prescribing compared with paper-based/handwritten prescribing on primary medication adherence in an outpatient setting.MethodsThe keywords and phrases "outpatients," "e-prescriptions," "paper-based prescriptions," and "primary medication adherence" were combined with their relevant synonyms and medical subject headings. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on EMBASE, CINAHL, and MEDLINE databases, and Google Scholar. The results of the search were screened and selected using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) was used for quality appraisal of included studies. Data relevant to the objective of the review were extracted and analyzed through narrative synthesis.ResultsA total of 10 original studies were included in the final review, including 1 prospective randomized study and 9 observational studies. Nine of the 10 studies were performed in the United States. Four of the studies indicated that electronic prescribing significantly increases initial medication adherence, while four of the studies suggested the opposite. The remaining two studies found no significant difference in primary medication adherence between the two methods of prescribing. The variations in the studies did not allow the homogeneity required for meta-analysis to be achieved.ConclusionThe conflicting findings relating to the efficacy of primary medication adherence across both systems demonstrate the need for a standardized measure of medication adherence. This would help further determine the respective benefits of both approaches. Future research should also be conducted in different countries to give a more accurate representation of adherence.

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Uptake of electronic prescribing in community-based practices.

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