A Prescription For Enhancing Electronic Prescribing Safety

Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Nov;37(11):1877-1883. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0725.

Abstract

While electronic prescribing has been shown to reduce medication errors and improve prescribing safety, it is vulnerable to error-prone processes. We review six intersecting areas in which changes to electronic prescribing systems, particularly in the outpatient setting, could transform medication ordering quality and safety. We recommend incorporating medication indications into electronic prescribing, establishing a single shared online medication list, implementing the transmission of electronic cancellation orders to pharmacies (CancelRx) to ensure that drugs are safely and reliably discontinued, implementing standardized structured and codified prescription instructions, reengineering clinical decision support, and redesigning electronic prescribing to facilitate the ordering of nondrug alternatives.

Keywords: clinical decision support; conservative prescribing; electronic prescribing; medication safety; prescribing indications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Drug Prescriptions*
  • Electronic Prescribing / standards*
  • Humans
  • Medical Order Entry Systems / standards*
  • Medication Errors / prevention & control*
  • Outpatients
  • Pharmacies