E-prescribing gains momentum in Europe
There is increasing acceptance of e-prescribing in Europe and system sales should more than triple in the next six years, according to a report on the technology by market research firm Frost & Sullivan.
According to the analysis, the European market for e-prescription systems, including integrated and stand-alone e-prescription systems, was worth $95.4 million in 2008 and should reach $449.7 million by 2015.
“Having experienced tremendous growth in the United States, e-prescription is on course to be accepted by the healthcare system in Europe,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Jayapradha T. E. “With an increase in the acceptance of integrated healthcare solutions, government initiatives and the need to reduce medical errors caused by paper prescriptions, the e-prescription market is expected to carve a niche for itself in the global healthcare arena.”
The drive to ensure greater mobility for patients and health professionals has resulted in attempts to modernize healthcare IT systems, which requires the effective integration of economic, organizational and clinical information across the healthcare spectrum.
“The drive towards enhanced healthcare mobility, reduced costs and improved efficiency, paralleled by an emphasis on patient safety and service quality, is having a direct positive impact on the e-prescription systems market in Europe,” Jayapradha said.
According to the Jayapradha, prescriber resistance to e-prescription technology still needs to be overcome. In addition, there is a dearth of empirical evidence demonstrating the advantages of e-prescription. Prescribers also seem to believe that they need a substantial amount of training to use e-prescription technology—training that will take up a considerable amount of their time.
“Good change management and stakeholder engagement are vital to overcoming the reluctance of health professionals to shift from paper-based to electronic-based prescriptions,” Jayapradha noted. “There is also a need for more empirical data through research to prove the benefits reaped by existing users of e-prescription.”
According to the analysis, the European market for e-prescription systems, including integrated and stand-alone e-prescription systems, was worth $95.4 million in 2008 and should reach $449.7 million by 2015.
“Having experienced tremendous growth in the United States, e-prescription is on course to be accepted by the healthcare system in Europe,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Jayapradha T. E. “With an increase in the acceptance of integrated healthcare solutions, government initiatives and the need to reduce medical errors caused by paper prescriptions, the e-prescription market is expected to carve a niche for itself in the global healthcare arena.”
The drive to ensure greater mobility for patients and health professionals has resulted in attempts to modernize healthcare IT systems, which requires the effective integration of economic, organizational and clinical information across the healthcare spectrum.
“The drive towards enhanced healthcare mobility, reduced costs and improved efficiency, paralleled by an emphasis on patient safety and service quality, is having a direct positive impact on the e-prescription systems market in Europe,” Jayapradha said.
According to the Jayapradha, prescriber resistance to e-prescription technology still needs to be overcome. In addition, there is a dearth of empirical evidence demonstrating the advantages of e-prescription. Prescribers also seem to believe that they need a substantial amount of training to use e-prescription technology—training that will take up a considerable amount of their time.
“Good change management and stakeholder engagement are vital to overcoming the reluctance of health professionals to shift from paper-based to electronic-based prescriptions,” Jayapradha noted. “There is also a need for more empirical data through research to prove the benefits reaped by existing users of e-prescription.”