Select one informatics application or healthcare technology that is used in your practice setting or is of interest to you (ex: electronic medical record, health care app, early warning system, ePrescribing, etc). Please describe the application/techology and discuss the benefits of this as well as the potential negative consequences, such as ethical or privacy issues.
One healthcare technology of significant interest is ePrescribing, a tool widely utilized in modern healthcare settings to improve medication prescribing processes. This technology allows healthcare providers to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies, bypassing the need for handwritten prescriptions.
Description of ePrescribing
ePrescribing systems are integrated into electronic health record (EHR) platforms, enabling clinicians to choose medications, verify patient allergies or drug interactions, and transmit prescriptions directly to the patient’s preferred pharmacy. Many systems also support controlled substance prescriptions and real-time insurance verification.
Benefits of ePrescribing
- Improved Patient Safety: Reduces prescription errors caused by illegible handwriting, miscommunication, or incorrect dosing.
- Efficiency: Saves time for both providers and patients by streamlining the prescription process and reducing delays at the pharmacy.
- Medication Adherence: Alerts for potential drug interactions or contraindications can ensure the safe use of medications.
- Cost Transparency: Systems often include features that check a patient’s insurance coverage and suggest cost-effective alternatives.
- Environmental Impact: Reduces the need for paper prescriptions, contributing to sustainability efforts.
Potential Negative Consequences
- Privacy and Security Issues: Storing and transmitting sensitive health information electronically can expose patients to data breaches if systems are not adequately secured.
- Ethical Concerns: The integration of formulary-driven suggestions might lead providers to prioritize cost-saving measures over the best clinical choice for the patient.
- Overreliance on Technology: Providers might overly depend on automated alerts, potentially overlooking nuanced clinical decisions.
- System Downtime or Errors: Technical issues or outages could delay care or lead to prescription errors if the system malfunctions.
- Learning Curve and Burnout: Some clinicians may struggle to learn and adapt to the system, contributing to increased workload and potential dissatisfaction.
Conclusion
ePrescribing represents a significant advancement in healthcare delivery by improving efficiency and patient safety. However, addressing potential privacy, ethical, and operational concerns is essential to maximize its benefits while minimizing risks. Proper training, adherence to cybersecurity standards, and robust system design can help ensure its effective and ethical use.