Patients’ views about an electronic prescribing and drug administration
system in secondary care
Although views about electronic prescribing and medicines administration
of pharmacists, nurses, doctors and patients in primary care have been
studied, it is believed this exploration of hospital inpatients’ perceptions
and experiences — reported here by Kara O’Grady, a
research pharmacist, Parastou Donyai and Bryony Dean Franklin
— is the first of its kind.
ABSTRACT
Inpatients’ views before and after implementing a pilot electronic
prescribing and administration system (EPA) at the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS
Trust were sought. When told that EPA was to be installed, some had
reasonable understanding of how the system would operate and others raised
concerns. Anticipated advantages were mostly about increased efficiency.
Post-EPA, patients expressed some concerns about the system — for example,
the scanning of a separate barcode rather than the one on the patient’s
wrist. Others suggested advantages, such as for staff whose first language
is not English. Patients generally had a good understanding of how the
previous paper-based system had worked and the majority had some safety
concerns with it. A range of views was expressed. On balance, inpatients
seemed neither for nor against EPA.
Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23(7): 15–18.
|
