English community pharmacists’ experiences of using electronic transmission of prescriptions: a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundThe Electronic Prescription Service Release 2 (EPS2) in England has been designed to provide electronic transmission of digitally-signed prescriptions between primary care providers, with the intent on removing the large amounts of paper currently exchanged. As part of a wider evaluation of the EPS service, we wished to explore pharmacists’ experience with the new system and their perceptions of its benefits and any associated problems.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with community pharmacists using EPS2. We used a purposive sampling technique to obtain views from pharmacists working in pharmacies with a range of sizes and locations and to include both independent pharmacies and multiples. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using grounded theory to identify the main factors that have influenced deployment and implementation in the eyes of respondents. QSR Nvivo was used as to aid in this process.ResultsIt became apparent from the analysis that respondents perceived a wide range of advantages of EPS including improved safety, stock control, time management and improved relationships between pharmacy and General Practice staff. Respondents did not perceive a large difference in terms of work processes or development of their professional role. A large number of problems had been experienced in relation to both the technology itself and the way it was used by General Practices. It became apparent that work-around procedures had been developed for dealing with these issues but that not all these problems were perceived as having been addressed sufficiently at source. This sometimes had implications for the extent of EPS2 use and also limited some of the potential advantages of the EPS2 system, such as reduced effort in the management of prescription reimbursement. Respondents made suggestions for future improvements to EPS2. While interview data demonstrated that there were some feedback procedures in place, these were not regarded as being sufficient by the majority of respondents.ConclusionsWhilst pharmacists perceived a wide range of benefits of EPS, a large number of problems had been experienced. Despite these difficulties, no pharmacists expressed an overall negative view.

Impact of electronic prescription on the job descriptions of community pharmacy staff in Finland - a survey of pharmacy owners

“…cosmetics). A few earlier studies have explored the impact of ePrescription on the work of technical staff at pharmacies . However, in those studies the systems differ from those in the present study as technical staff are involved in processing ePrescriptions.…”

“…The fact that technical staff members are not permitted to process ePrescriptions has also affected the job description of pharmaceutical staff by increasing their prescription processing in many community pharmacies. On the other hand, prescription processing and dispensing have become more streamlined and quicker, which is in line with many previous studies . However, the present study did not provide information on how these changes have affected the workload or capacity of pharmaceutical staff to exercise their professional pharmaceutical services (e.g.…”

“…In addition, the transition to ePrescription has generally resulted in measures related to furnishings and/or equipment in the pharmacies. The study adds some new information to previous studies in this field . First, the implementation of ePrescription could lead to changes in operating practices and thus job descriptions at pharmacies, if as a consequence, one staff group is no longer allowed to take part in process prescriptions.…”

“…The implementation of ePrescription affects many parties, including prescribers, pharmacies and patients. Several studies have evaluated the impacts of ePrescription on the pharmacy staff's work, and most of these studies were conducted from the pharmacists’ point of view . These studies have shown that ePrescription has had an impact on the work of the pharmacy staff, for example by saving time, facilitating workflows, and improving efficiency.…”

The impact of electronic prescriptions on the medicine dispensing process in Finnish community pharmacies - a survey of pharmacists

“…Many studies have highlighted the potential of ePrescriptions to improve the quality and safety of prescribing and dispensing medicines . In terms of the dispensing and prescribing processes, ePrescriptions may save time and facilitate workflow in pharmacies and physicians’ practices . However, the novel technology has also created problems, such as technical malfunctions (e.g.…”