Have you ever wondered how pharmacists can read the apparent scribbles doctors write on prescription forms? If you have been amazed or concerned, you are perceptive. Written prescriptions can lead to a prescription error and are a source of A.D.E.'s (adverse drug events). These errors do not play "favorites." Incorrect medication could involve minor medical problems or affect much more serious conditions, resulting in injury or death of the patient.
Research displays that prescription mistakes are greatly minimized if the doctor sends an electronic med request to a pharmacy. For example, the Weill Cornell Medical College published a study in 2010 that tracked prescriptions of a strategic sample of medical providers in New York. The difference in the number of errors was both amazing and troubling.
The study showed 37 mistakes for every 100 written prescriptions, as compared to only 7 errors per 100 scripts for those using "e-prescribing" software, sending electronic requests to pharmacies. The 37 errors did not even include those pharmacists, unable to read prescriptions, who called doctors to get the correct order.
From a financial perspective, these mistakes are very costly. The Institute of Medicine estimates the cost (in the U.S.) to be around $2 billion per year. Their study did not even include private practice meds orders. Their research only studied prescriptions and errors originating from "hospital settings."
Even these disturbing results have yet to change medical personnel behaviors. In 2011, only around 36 percent of all prescriptions were forwarded electronically in the U.S. This should improve in the future as the 2009 government mandate that all patient records be converted to electronic files to facilitate better care becomes a reality. However, until electronic scripts become the norm, instead of the exception, errors will likely continue.
What is your opinion on written versus electronic prescriptions?
Source: The New York Times, "Chicken Scratches vs. Electronic Prescriptions," Randall Stross, April 28, 2012