Prescriptions don’t have to be done face-to-face anymore. Electronic prescribing or ePrescribing is a safer way of issuing and receiving prescriptions. Patients can get quick and error-free doctor’s prescriptions from the comforts of their home. It’s a massive help during the pandemic when movement is limited.
Doctors also stand to gain more when they choose to switch to ePrescriptions. Here are some of the reasons ePrescribing is beneficial for doctors and healthcare providers:
1. Faster Access To Medical History
You’d think that a face-to-face consultation will trump over virtual ones at everything. But this new technology enables doctors to get hold of a patient’s digitally stored file in just a few taps. It saves time and grants the healthcare worker more time to review the patient’s medical history.
Doctors need to see the patient’s file quickly to ensure that no other medication will be given that will affect other existing medical conditions. They’ll able to map out their explanation better when complete information is at hand.
2. Prescriptions Are Easier To Comprehend
Doctors are notorious for having hard-to-read handwriting. Electronic prescriptions make it easier for patients to read them because they become computer-based instead of paper-based. Traditionally, the physician will prescribe on a personalized notepad. With electronic prescriptions, the doctor will digitally sign the prescription, and it’ll be sent to the patient’s local pharmacist. That way, the patients will only need to pick up their medication without dropping by at the doctor’s office.
3. Help Avoid Prescription Errors
Both patients and health workers can get some things wrong when handling prescriptions. One is that they can read the paper-based prescription wrong. And two, there’s a possibility of overprescribing and miscommunications. Electronic prescriptions easily allow pharmacists to manage prescriptions better by checking crucial information such as the patient’s allergies and any history of medications’ adverse effects.
4. More Prescription Accuracy
An ePrescription software allows physicians to access the archives readily to look at past prescriptions. If the patient’s illness is returning or developing a different condition, the physician can make the right prescriptions and avoid contraindications. Patients and family members won’t always remember the medication involved in the treatment. It pays to have an accessible archive that doctors can readily read. It can be used alongside the practice’s electronic medical records system to help manage patients’ profiles more efficiently.
5. Secure Than Paper
Paper prescriptions traditionally have the name, practice, and contact details of the doctor so that the pharmacist can tell that it’s not fake. But such medications are easy to tamper with since handwriting can be copied and notes can be altered. A patient can’t tamper with the ePrescription software. From the drug’s name and the recommended dosage, information is quickly directed to the proper dispensers. The software also conceals the physician’s DEA number to prevent it from getting exposed to unauthorized persons.
In Conclusion
ePrescriptions are not available everywhere. But in those areas that offer them, both patients and healthcare providers can greatly benefit from the added convenience and safety features. From storage to security, and ePrescription software will help make it easier for patients to seek medical consultation when they need it. It is the same for doctors who are pressed for time and may need to attend to other hospital patients.