Physicians' attitudes towards ePrescribing--evaluation of a Swedish full-scale implementation.
BACKGROUND
The penetration rate of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in health care is increasing. However, many different EHR-systems are used with varying ePrescription designs and functionalities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate experienced ePrescribers' attitudes towards ePrescribing for suggesting improvements.


METHODS
Physicians (n = 431) from seven out of the 21 Swedish health care regions, using one of the six most widely implemented EHR-systems with integrated electronic prescribing modules, were recruited from primary care centers and hospital clinics of internal medicine, orthopaedics and surgery. The physicians received a web survey that comprised eight questions on background data and 19 items covering attitudes towards ePrescribing. Forty-two percent (n = 199) of the physicians answered the questionnaire; 90% (n = 180) of the respondents met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis.


RESULTS
A majority of the respondents regarded their EHR-system easy to use in general (81%), and for the prescribing of drugs (88%). Most respondents believed they were able to provide the patients better service by ePrescribing (92%), and regarded ePrescriptions to be time saving (91%) and to be safer (83%), compared to handwritten prescriptions. Some of the most frequently reported weaknesses were: not clearly displayed price of drugs (43%), complicated drug choice (21%), and the perception that it was possible to handle more than one patient at a time when ePrescribing (13%). Moreover, 62% reported a lack of receipt from the pharmacy after successful transmission of an ePrescription. Although a majority (73%) of the physicians reported that they were always or often checking the ePrescription a last time before transmitting, 25% declared that they were seldom or never doing a last check. The respondents suggested a number of improvements, among others, to simplify the drug choice and the cancellation of ePrescriptions.


CONCLUSIONS
The Swedish physicians in the group studied were generally satisfied with their specific EHR-system and with ePrescribing as such. However, identified weaknesses warrant improvements of the EHR-systems as well as of their implementation in the individual health care organisation.
Hellström
Lina
L
eHealth Institute, School of Human Sciences, University of Kalmar, Kalmar, Sweden. lina.hellstrom@hik.se
Waern
Karolina
K
Montelius
Emelie
E
Astrand
Bengt
B
Rydberg
Tony
T
Petersson
Göran
G
D001292:Attitude to Computers; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D055695:Electronic Prescribing; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013548:Sweden