In today’s era of digitalisation, technology has advanced to such an extent that our medical services are mostly taken care of via the internet. For example, we use the online platform to book appointments with doctors, buy medicines, book an ambulance, access our health reports and so on. One such perk which we can also tick on our list is e-prescription. It is a technology framework in which a doctor or any other medical practitioner can send prescriptions online to pharmacies instead of sending a fax or physically handing over handwritten prescriptions. The use of e-prescriptions is increasing by the day because of the multiple benefits it provides to patients and physicians. Here are the key benefits of e-prescriptions:
No chance of errors in prescription
A prescription handwritten in haste by a doctor may not be understood properly by the pharmacist, and in most cases this leads to wrong medicines being dispensed to the patient.
Keeping a track
When it comes to handwritten prescriptions, physicians don’t have any mechanism to track whether the prescription is filled by patients. Either he may lose the paper or may not even consume the medicine on feeling better. E-prescription helps physicians verify whether patients have filled their prescription or not.
Insurance compatibility
E-prescription also makes medication affordable for patients as doctors can prescribe those medicines that are covered under insurance plans and are really reasonable.
Notification of allergies
The e-prescribing system tells a physician about a patient’s previous medicines and allergies, but most importantly, it will also trigger clinical alerts if a new drug has the potential to create negative reactions for the patient.
(The author is founder, Jiyyo.com)