gms | German Medical Science

13. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie

Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie

02.11. bis 03.11.2006, Berlin

Electronic prescription can help to increase to the quality of healthcare

Meeting Abstract

Search Medline for

Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie e.V. (GAA). 13. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie. Berlin, 02.-03.11.2006. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2006. Doc06gaa04

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/gaa2006/06gaa04.shtml

Published: October 30, 2006

© 2006 Köthemann.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

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.