Effect of electronic prescription system modifications on reducing prescribing errors in a military hospital

Abstract

Background The implementation of electronic prescription systems has become a crucial advancement in healthcare, intending to enhance the precision, safety, and effectiveness of the prescription process. Electronic prescription systems provide many solutions to reduce prescribing errors by allowing system modifications that streamline the prescribing process to improve communication between healthcare practitioners . In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of electronic prescription system modification on minimising prescribing errors. Methods This retrospective quantitative study assessed the effects of electronic prescribing system modification in a tertiary military centre in Saudi Arabia, specifically focusing on decreasing prescribing errors in different hospital departments. Collected data include all prescribing errors that occurred in the inpatient setting during the study period, while exclude prescribing errors for outpatient settings as they have different e-prescribing system. A total of 29,554 patient admissions were analysed to compare the frequency of prescribing errors before and after the introduction of electronic prescriptions modification. Results The findings from this study indicate a total reduction in prescribing errors after electronic prescription modifications from 1.43% to 0.51% ( p -value < 0.001) across all departments, which is highly significant. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction of 49.8% in the overall prescribing error rate. The overall reduction in total errors occurrences after implementing e-prescription modifications suggests a systemic improvement, even if individual departments showed mixed results. Conclusion This study emphasises the advantages of electronic prescribing system modification in improving patient safety and optimising healthcare operations. However, the variance in results across departments highlights the need for tailored modifications and continuous system optimisation. By addressing the specific needs of each department, hospitals can maximise the benefits of e-prescribing system and achieve more consistent reductions in prescribing errors in clinical practice.