An Initial Exploration of Stakeholder Benefit Dependencies in Ambulatory ePrescribing

Ambulatory e-prescribing appears to be a straightforward automation effort that electronically connects a prescriber to an electronic network so an e-script can be sent to a pharmacy. A benefits dependency network (BDN) traces the path from an IS/IT enabler, an e-prescribing module, that enables a business change which results in a benefit. A BDN is particularly useful in e-prescribing which functions as an inter-organizational system. The greatest benefits don’t accrue to stakeholders the individuals in the medical practices and pharmacies who are the stakeholders being asked to invest in the technology. The initial BDN shows that reduced adverse drug events, the greatest expected outcome of e-prescribing, is dependent upon the least mature of the e-prescribing modules.