Electronic prescriptions are slowly spreading in the European Union.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated whether the adoption of electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions) had increased in the 27 member countries of the European Union (EU) in the beginning of this decade. Our previous study in 2002 concerning the old union with 15 countries had discovered that e-prescriptions were rare in daily practice and that there was only slight interest for their future use. Since the internal market with free movement of people, goods, services, and capital is a central issue in the Union, we took a cross-border view of the use of the e-prescriptions. MATERIALS AND METHODS A semiopen questionnaire on the use of e-prescriptions, chosen systems, the process itself, investments, and the acceptance of non-national European prescriptions was e-mailed to community pharmacy associations of the 27 EU member countries that were members of or otherwise identified by the Pharmaceutical Group of the EU. RESULTS Five countries were using e-prescriptions as a part of their daily practice, but only Denmark and Sweden reported nationwide use. These countries were the same that used e-prescriptions nationally already in 2002. Pilots presented in 2002 had not yet advanced into daily practice. Some new pilots/projects were prepared in the old and new member countries. E-prescription models and systems used were divergent between the countries and sometimes even within a country. CONCLUSIONS Nationwide use of e-prescriptions was not more common than in 2002. Several countries had piloted or were piloting projects on e-prescriptions. Interoperability of different systems is a challenge to which EU-funded projects might offer a solution.

[1]  Pricing European Pharmaceuticals : Can the Commission untie the Gordian Knot? , 2001 .

[2]  D P Mundy,et al.  Security issues in the electronic transmission of prescriptions , 2003, Medical informatics and the Internet in medicine.

[3]  Robyn Tamblyn,et al.  Inappropriate prescribing practices: the challenge and opportunity for patient safety. , 2005, Healthcare quarterly.

[4]  S. Leckie,et al.  6. Treaty Establishing the European Community , 2006 .

[5]  G. Wright,et al.  Primary care computing in England and Scotland: a comparison with Denmark. , 2006, Informatics in primary care.

[6]  Mia Mäkinen,et al.  A European survey on the possibilities and obstacles of electronic prescriptions in cross-border healthcare. , 2006, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[7]  D. Protti.  Comparison of information technology in general practice in 10 countries. , 2007, Healthcare Quarterly.

[8]  Digital Rx: Obama pushing for paperless prescriptions , 2009, Canadian Medical Association Journal.

[9]  J. Pagán,et al.  Which physicians have access to electronic prescribing and which ones end up using it? , 2009, Health policy.

[10]  David W. Bates,et al.  Review Paper: What Evidence Supports the Use of Computerized Alerts and Prompts to Improve Clinicians' Prescribing Behavior? , 2009, J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..

[11]  Douglas S. Bell,et al.  Research Paper: Perceptions of Standards-based Electronic Prescribing Systems as Implemented in Outpatient Primary Care: A Physician Survey , 2009, J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..

[12]  S. J. Lewis,et al.  Health Information Technology—Results From a Roundtable Discussion , 2009, Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy : JMCP.

[13]  Warner V. Slack,et al.  Reflections on electronic medical records: When doctors will use them and when they will not , 2010, Int. J. Medical Informatics.