An Interview with Ebru Öztürk on Electronic Prescribing: Shaping the Future of e-Prescription Systems

We did an interview with Ebru Öztürk, our Project Manager, to explore the profound impact of electronic prescribing on the healthcare industry. Öztürk shared her compelling perspective and extensive knowledge about the advantages of electronic prescription systems, emphasizing their role in improving patient safety and clinical workflows and discussing how these systems address key challenges in the prescription process.

With the benefits of electronic prescription systems, Öztürk also shares her insights into interoperability, integration with other healthcare information technologies and emerging technologies which will leverage the capabilities of these systems. This informative interview enlightens the transformative power of electronic prescription systems, revealing their cutting-edge capabilities, visionary future and unparalleled potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery.

Here’s the interview:

1. First of all, could you explain how electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) has transformed the overall healthcare landscape globally?

E-prescribing has facilitated integration with broader healthcare systems, enabling real-time monitoring, regulatory compliance and data-driven decision-making. E-prescribing significantly improves the efficiency, accuracy and accessibility of prescription management. By minimizing transcription errors and streamlining communication between healthcare providers and pharmacies, e-prescribing ensures safer and more efficient patient care. In essence, it has revolutionized the healthcare landscape by transforming the prescription process from manual, paper-based methods to digital solutions.

2. What are the benefits of e-prescription systems for patient safety and clinical workflows?

There are significant benefits of e-prescription systems for patients, physicians and pharmacists. These systems offer a centralized view of a patient’s medication profile, saving time during consultations and dispensing and contributing to more efficient and accurate care delivery. Additionally, they enhance collaboration between healthcare providers and pharmacies by integrating with electronic medical records and pharmacy management systems. Another benefit is reducing manual errors due to illegible handwriting, so these systems minimize paperwork and decrease the load on pharmacists to verify unclear prescriptions. These systems enforce clinical decision support such as alerts for potential drug interactions, allergies or incorrect dosages and provide access to a patient’s medication history, enabling physicians to make informed decisions. Furthermore, they ensure prescriptions reach the pharmacy without errors or delays, reducing the risk of dispensing incorrect medications. They also encourage patients to follow prescribed treatment plans through reminders and accessible medication information while ensuring patient data security and compliance with privacy regulations. Lastly, they minimize the time that physicians spend on administrative tasks. 

3. In what ways do these systems ensure interoperability between different healthcare providers and pharmacies? 

E-prescription systems provide a complete solution that ensures interoperability by using standardized data exchange protocols, facilitating seamless communication with other healthcare systems. They integrate with electronic medical records and pharmacy management software to enable secure and efficient data sharing. Centralized databases or cloud-based platforms, like Tiga's Central e-Prescription System, are implemented to unify healthcare data across providers and pharmacies. Additionally, these systems support cross-border e-prescribing in regions with interconnected health networks, ensuring continuity of care and enhancing the overall efficiency of healthcare delivery.

4. How do these systems contribute to the actions of healthcare authorities and professionals? 

E-prescription systems empower healthcare authorities and professionals by providing real-time data for monitoring prescribing patterns, supporting regulatory compliance and reducing the risk of unnecessary prescriptions. They enhance drug safety monitoring by tracking adverse drug events and facilitating medication recalls when necessary. These systems also enable data analytics for public health initiatives, allowing authorities to identify trends in medication usage and make informed policy decisions. Additionally, they support education and training for healthcare professionals by offering valuable insights into best practices and updated clinical guidelines, fostering continuous improvement in patient care.

5. What are the key challenges healthcare organizations face in the prescription process and how does Tiga's Central e-Prescription System address these challenges? 

Challenges in the prescription process include errors from manual work, disconnected systems, lack of communication between healthcare providers, patients who do not follow prescriptions and limited monitoring. Tiga’s e-Prescription System solves these problems by automating the prescription process, reducing mistakes caused by unclear handwriting and transcription. It connects with electronic medical records and pharmacy systems, along with our Pharmaceutical Track and Trace System (PTTS), creating one centralized platform to avoid fragmentation. By using standard protocols, Tiga ensures smooth data exchange across different healthcare systems, supporting better communication. To help patients follow their prescriptions, the system offers tools like prescription tracking and reminders. Additionally, Tiga provides healthcare authorities with detailed reports and analytics, helping them monitor prescribing trends and enforce regulations.

6. How does this system integrate with existing healthcare IT systems like electronic health records and pharmacy systems to streamline the prescription process and reduce the risk of errors? 

Tiga's Central e-Prescription System integrates seamlessly with healthcare IT systems by utilizing APIs and interoperability standards to ensure compatibility with electronic medical records and pharmacy systems. It provides a unified interface that consolidates data from various sources, reducing duplicate entries and minimizing discrepancies. The system also includes real-time decision support tools to identify and address potential prescribing errors before they occur. Additionally, it facilitates direct communication between physicians and pharmacists, ensuring the accurate dispensing of medications and promoting safer, more efficient patient care.

7. Looking ahead, which emerging trends or technologies do you believe will shape the future of e-prescription systems and enhance their capabilities? 

Emerging trends and technologies are set to reshape e-prescription systems and healthcare. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will improve clinical decision-making by providing predictive insights and personalized medicine recommendations. Mobile health apps will help patients manage prescriptions, schedule refills and get reminders, making it easier to stick to treatment plans. Data analytics will provide valuable insights into prescribing patterns, drug effectiveness and patient adherence, guiding policy and improving care. Wearable devices and Internet of Things (IoT) will enable real-time medication tracking, helping manage chronic conditions. Lastly, cross-border healthcare solutions will improve international data sharing, ensuring better care across regions and promoting global health equity.

Key Points of the Interview:

• Improved Patient Safety and Clinical Workflows: E-prescription systems, which allow the global healthcare ecosystem to move from paper-based methods to digitalization, increase patient safety by reducing manual errors. Additionally, they streamline clinical workflows by integrating with electronic medical records and pharmacy systems and automating administrative tasks. 

• Interoperability and Integration with Other Systems: For secure and seamless data exchange between healthcare providers and pharmacies, e-prescribing guarantees interoperability via standardized protocols, centralized databases and cloud-based platforms. Furthermore, e-prescription systems integrate with existing healthcare IT systems, reducing errors, improving communication and supporting real-time decision making.  

• Emerging Trends and Technologies: Emerging technologies and trends such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, mobile health apps, data analytics, wearable devices, Internet of Things and cross-border healthcare solutions will improve the capabilities of e-prescription systems.

The insightful interview with Öztürk consolidates that e-prescribing and e-prescription systems play a pivotal role in increasing efficiency, safety and accuracy of healthcare delivery. These systems significantly contribute to patient care while improving communication between healthcare providers and pharmacies.

Öztürk’s insights spotlight the evolution of e-prescribing which forges a more streamlined and safeguarded landscape for enhanced patient care and elevated clinical practices worldwide.

Let’s shape the future together, as always!