E-prescriptions are a Click Away from Correcting Errors and Protecting Patients, says DoctorSolve
The benefits of electronic prescriptions may soon have many physicians throwing out their pen and reaching for the mouse. Vancouver, B.C. (PRWEB) February 13, 2007 -- With all the years of training physicians go through, one skill that has eluded many of them is good penmanship. More than 3.2 billion prescriptions are handwritten every year. A 2006 report from the Institute of Medicine found that more than 7,000 people died and at least 1.5 million were harmed by preventable medication errors in the U.S. One major cause cited for this was illegible prescriptions. "If the physician's handwriting is difficult to read, filling a prescription becomes a guessing game. Patients may be given the wrong drug or dosage if the pharmacist misread the prescription," says Dr. Paul Zickler of DoctorSolve (www.doctorsolve.com) online pharmacy services. Fortunately, the medical world is warming up to a new program that may change the age-old habit of handwritten prescriptions. The National e-prescribing Patient Safety Initiative is a multi-million dollar project supported by high-profile technology companies and hospitals. Doctors can access a web-based tool to write prescriptions electronically and transmit them for filling. Electronic prescribing first started in hospitals where doctors would submit a patient's prescription on special computers at nursing stations. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that at one hospital computerized prescriptions cut the rate of serious medication errors by more than half. "E-prescribing offers a new level of security for patients and physicians," says Zickler. "It can reduce errors related to handwriting, and prevent harmful drug interactions. Plus patients can get treated sooner. One click and a patient's prescription can be e-mailed to the drug store." E-prescribing can also make things easier and safer for patients who purchase their prescriptions from international pharmacies. "Currently, the patient or doctor has to fax the written prescription in to start the order process, and then mail us the original," says Zickler. "E-prescriptions would streamline the process and get critical medication to our patients faster." "Until this technology is in place, our medical staff reviews every prescription and follows up to confirm the details. This practice prevents some of the problems inherent with handwritten scripts, and ensures the safety of our patients." DoctorSolve, a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC Q37) offers lower cost, long-term prescriptions. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked one of the best online pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com. DoctorSolve has filled more than 200,000 U.S. prescriptions. For more information, call 1-866-732-0305, listen to our podcast at www.doctorsolve.com/podcast or visit http://www.doctorsolve.com. ###
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