Evaluating the adoption of e-prescribing in primary care.
The purpose of this study was to examine the adoption of e-prescribing by primary care physicians in Central Vancouver Island. To accomplish this, a multi-method study design was used to compare the ideal state of e-prescribing (desired e-prescribing features in an electronic medical record [EMR]) with the possible state (what the EMR offers) and current state (what physicians are using in practice). The authors found that recruited physicians are using most of the e-prescribing and EMR features available. However, there are several gaps between the ideal, possible and current states of e-prescribing. The authors address the identified gaps through physician-level, policy-related and technology-related recommendations to improve the adoption, design and development of e-prescribing features.
program coordinator with the Regional Support Program for family physicians in the Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease Management Department at Vancouver Island Health Authority, in Victoria, British Columbia. You can contact Gurprit Randhawa by phone at 250-519-5158 or by email at gurprit@uvic.ca.
Gurprit K
GK
Randhawa
Professor in the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria and Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Infoway applied chair in eHealth, in Victoria, British Columbia.
Francis
F
Lau
Family physician and an assistant professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia, in Victoria, British Columbia.
Morgan
M
Price
D001955:British Columbia; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D055695:Electronic Prescribing / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018581:Technology Transfer