Using stakeholder perspectives to develop an ePrescribing toolkit for NHS Hospitals: a questionnaire study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate how an online toolkit may support ePrescribing deployments in National Health Service hospitals, by assessing the type of knowledge-based resources currently sought by key stakeholders.


METHODS
Questionnaire-based survey of attendees at a national ePrescribing symposium.


METHODS
2013 National ePrescribing Symposium in London, UK.


METHODS
Eighty-four delegates were eligible for inclusion in the survey, of whom 70 completed and returned the questionnaire.


METHODS
Estimate of the usefulness and type of content to be included in an ePrescribing toolkit.


RESULTS
Interest in a toolkit designed to support the implementation and use of ePrescribing systems was high (n = 64; 91.4%). As could be expected given the current dearth of such a resource, few respondents (n = 2; 2.9%) had access or used an ePrescribing toolkit at the time of the survey. Anticipated users for the toolkit included implementation (n = 62; 88.6%) and information technology (n = 61; 87.1%) teams, pharmacists (n = 61; 87.1%), doctors (n = 58; 82.9%) and nurses (n = 56; 80.0%). Summary guidance for every stage of the implementation (n = 48; 68.6%), planning and monitoring tools (n = 47; 67.1%) and case studies of hospitals' experiences (n = 45; 64.3%) were considered the most useful types of content.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a clear need for reliable and up-to-date knowledge to support ePrescribing system deployments and longer term use. The findings highlight how a toolkit may become a useful instrument for the management of knowledge in the field, not least by allowing the exchange of ideas and shared learning.
eHealth Research Group, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
Lisa
L
Lee
School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
Kathrin
K
Cresswell
eHealth Research Group, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
Ann
A
Slee
School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Wolfson Research Institute, Durham University, Stockton on Tees TS17 6BH, UK ; Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston 02120-1613, USA.
Sarah P
SP
Slight
School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, College of Medical and Dental Sciences (CMDS), Medical School Building, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, UK.
Jamie
J
Coleman
eHealth Research Group, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK ; Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston 02120-1613, USA.
Aziz
A
Sheikh
ePrescribing; knowledge management; knowledge tools; stakeholder engagement; toolkit