Health + Tech | E-prescriptions a game changer in healthcare delivery

Electronic prescription (e-priscription) goes hand in hand with healthcare digitisation, and when integrated with electronic medical records (EMR), it has the potential to significantly enhance healthcare delivery and the overall patient experience.

Jamaica’s public health system continues to face several challenges, including resource constraints and inefficiencies. Implementing e-prescription as a routine part of healthcare delivery could address many of these challenges, streamline systems and ultimately result in a more efficient and patient focused approach to healthcare.

E-prescriptions eliminate the need for handwritten notes, ensuring that prescriptions are legible and error-free. This alone addresses one of the long-standing issues in healthcare: misinterpretation of doctor’s handwriting, which can lead to medication errors. When paired with EMRs, e-prescriptions can automatically cross-check medications against a patient’s medical history, allergies, and current prescriptions. This integration reduces the risk of adverse drug interactions and ensures that treatments are tailored to the individual’s specific needs.

From the patient’s perspective, e-prescriptions provide an easier and more convenient way to submit prescriptions. They would no longer have to carry around a paper prescription to a pharmacy. Instead, their prescription can be sent to the pharmacy electronically, in real time, by their doctor. This is particularly helpful for patients who have mobility issues as some pharmacists could also offer delivery service. It would also be beneficial for elderly persons or those with chronic non-communicable diseases to get their medication easier.

E-prescriptions can streamline workflows and free up valuable time of doctors to allow them to do other important work. They would no longer have to spend a lot of time on manual record-keeping or clarifying handwritten notes with pharmacists. They would also have an easily accessible electronic record of prescriptions given to their patients for ease of access. With this, they can focus more on patient care.

Pharmacists can also benefit from the use of e-prescription. By receiving prescriptions electronically, they can begin processing orders more quickly, reducing wait times for patients. In addition, the electronic system could reduce the likelihood of errors caused by transcription mistakes, ensuring that patients receive the correct medication at the correct dosage.

E-prescription integration into the EMR can offer a wide range of other benefits for the healthcare system as a whole. Capturing data on prescribing patterns, for example, can enable us to identify trends, such as overprescription of certain medications or the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria due to antibiotic misuse. We can also get early warnings of an increase in infectious diseases, like influenza viruses, allowing for early intervention. These insights can inform public health initiatives and help guide policy decisions aimed at improving the overall health of the population.

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY KEY

As we move towards adopting technology in our healthcare system, we must also ensure that healthcare facilities have the necessary infrastructure and equipment to support this. We still have health facilities in rural Jamaica without Internet coverage or the number of computers and other electronics required to effectively operate digitally. This is something that we must address sooner than later.

The integration of e-prescription and EMR, especially as Jamaica aims to have a national health records database in future, has the potential to transform healthcare and evolve even further. If artificial intelligence is included in these systems, it would be able to easily and quickly analyse prescription data to recommend the most effective treatment options based on similar patient profiles. This could revolutionise personalised medicine, offering a level of care that is both highly precise and proactive. This would not only improve health outcomes overall but also position us as a leader in adopting innovative healthcare solutions within the Caribbean.

We are on the cusp of change and the integration of e-prescriptions with EMR can bring us closer to having a more modern and efficient healthcare system. It improves accuracy, enhances patient convenience, and optimises workflows for providers, all while contributing to better public health outcomes. There are immense benefits to be gained from digital health. The most significant being a healthcare system that is equipped to meet the needs of the current and future generations.

Doug Halsall is the chairman and CEO of Advanced Integrated Systems. Email feedback to doug.halsall@gmail.com and editorial@gleanerjm.com.