Introduction
Technology has been used to either inform or expedite the prescribing process in most modern healthcare systems for over two decades. Recently, market forces - including greater regulatory intervention, increased investment from stakeholders and decreased resistance from end-users - have begun to converge to set the stage for widespread adoption of truly integrated ePrescribing solutions.
Scope
Insight into the different approaches taken towards adoption of ePrescribing in the US and the EU Identification of current drivers of adoption and why they are important to the success of ePrescribing long-term Analysis of physicians’ and consumers’ views on ePrescribing and how they are affecting the rate of adoption in the US and EU Recommendations for pharmaceutical industry as to how to retain a share-of-voice in adoption, particularly as regards designing functional standards
Highlights
One of the greatest challenges facing ePrescribing has been finding a balance between the wants and needs of industry and end-users. Several stakeholders have been vying for influence over the design and implementation of ePrescribing systems. While this has served to move the market forward considerable conflicts of interest have also emerged. The attitude of the physician towards ePrescribing is the most important consideration for stakeholders because it is the point at which adoption either stalls or moves forward. Historically, physicians have been offered a variety of reasons and incentives to adopt ePrescribing, with varying degrees of success. It is the pharmaceutical industry’s responsibility to ensure that decisions made at the point of care are not unduly controlled by other stakeholders, such as disruptive messaging meant to influence a physician to continuously second-guess specific prescribing decisions, or inequitable screen displays, which give preference to certain treatments.
Reasons to Purchase
Identify the dangers of the traditional paper-based prescribing model and how electronic prescribing can improve patient safety and compliance Understand the importance of developing electronic medical records in parallel with ePrescribing initiatives Assess opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to maintain a share-of-voice during the prescribing process
CHAPTER 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
SCOPE OF THE REPORT 4
KEY FINDINGS 4
CHAPTER 2 AN INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING 9
THE TRADITIONAL PRESCRIBING MODEL AND ITS LIMITATIONS 10
MARKET FORCES DRIVING THE ADOPTION OF EPRESCRIBING 13
GREATER REGULATORY INTERVENTION 13
A TOP-DOWN APPROACH: ONGOING LESSONS FROM A CENTRALIZED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM 13
A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH: ONGOING LESSONS FROM A PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM 15
THE BEST APPROACH: SEEING EPRESCRIBING FROM THE EYES OF THE END USERS 16
INCREASED INVESTMENT FROM STAKEHOLDERS 18
DECREASED RESISTANCE FROM END USERS 21
THE PHYSICIAN’S PERSPECTIVE 23
PHYSICIANS IN THE US 24
PHYSICIANS IN THE FIVE MAJOR EU MARKETS 27
THE PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE 30
THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY’S PERSPECTIVE 32
CHAPTER 3 THE FUTURE DECODED 36
PHYSICIANS: IMPROVING PATIENT SAFETY BY INCREASING USE OF DECISION-SUPPORT TOOLS 36
PATIENTS: IMPROVING COMPLIANCE BY IMPROVING PRESCRIBING EFFICIENCY 36
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES: IMPROVING THE PRESCRIBING PROCESS BY MAINTAINING A SHARE-OF-VOICE 39
CHAPTER 4 BIBLIOGRAPHY 42
REFERENCED PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE ARTICLES 42
DATAMONITOR RESOURCES 43
FURTHER READING 43
APPENDIX 46
DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS 46
EXTENDED METHODOLOGY 46
DATAMONITOR INTERVIEWS 46
DATAMONITOR EHEALTH PHYSICIAN INSIGHT SURVEY 2005 46
DATAMONITOR EHEALTH CONSUMER INSIGHT SURVEY 2005 47
List of Figures
Figure 1: The term "ePrescribing" may or may not refer to the electronic transmission of prescriptions to the pharmacist 9
Figure 2: The traditional paper-based prescribing process results in errors and inefficiencies 11
Figure 3: A common national IT strategy paves the way for modernization initiatives in all healthcare systems 16
Figure 4: Stakeholders in the adoption of ePrescribing are interconnected, but at times can have conflicting interests 19
Figure 5: Physicians in the US and 5EU differed in their perceptions of the greatest barrier to their personal adoption of ePrescribing technologies 22
Figure 6: Physicians in the US are equally likely to write a prescription electronically as they are to submit a prescription electronically, regardless of the technology used 25
Figure 7: US physicians were much more positive about the likelihood that they will personally adopt ePrescribing than about the likelihood that their peers will do the same 26
Figure 8: Physicians in the 5EU made the distinction between using technology to write prescriptions and using technology to transmit prescriptions directly to the pharmacist 27
Figure 9: Physicians in the 5EU were somewhat more optimistic about the likelihood that they will personally adopt ePrescribing than about the likelihood that their peers will do the same 29
Figure 10: Patients are open to using the Internet to improve their access to information and medications 31
Figure 11: ePrescribing may present pharmaceutical companies with opportunities to gain increased access to information or improve patient compliance 34
Figure 12: The prescribing process leaves patients with many opportunities to opt out of receiving or picking up a prescribed medication 38
Figure 13: The pharmaceutical industry has a responsibility to ensure ePrescribing is not used as a means to influence prescribers at the point-of-care 40
Other selected research from the 'IT & eHealth' category:
Datamonitors eHealth Consumer Insight Survey: 2005 Survey Results Overview
Telehealth Spending in North America and Europe Through 2012 (Interactive Model)