gms | German Medical Science

Context: By propelling the concept of ePrescription the Techniker Krankenkasse aims to optimize healthcare. Cost containment and increasing the quality of prescribing are key elements to safe and efficient drug therapy.

Aim of the study: Presenting a concept of the utilization of ePrescription data

Material and Method: On the basis of the current data format and the defined technical conditions the prevention of medication errors (e.g. confusion between drugs with similar names) and the impact on patient counselling is going to be investigated.

Results: Paper prescriptions are prone to medication errors as the data are not computerized. ePrescription technology can reduce medication errors and enhance patient safety. Almost 90.000 admissions to hospitals each year are caused by adverse drug-interactions. Using computerized medication checks could help physicians to assess the accuracy of the prescription prior to the medication being provided to the patient. Additionally, prescriptions from different physicians could be counterchecked if the patient grants access to his electronic dossier.

Conclusion: ePresciption helps to increase treatment efficiency and safety by providing individual patient data and by eliminating the media break. Furthermore, these data are going to be used for the development of patient tailored services by the Techniker Krankenkasse.