Evaluation of Outpatient Electronic Prescription System Capabilities from the Perspective of Physicians in Specialized Polyclinics of Urmia Social Security Organization

Background and Aim: Electronic prescription systems can improve patient safety and the quality of health care services. These systems must provide the capabilities required to reduce medical errors and enhance the performance of health care providers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the capabilities of the e-prescription system from the perspective of physicians in the polyclinics of the Social Security Organization (SSO) of Urmia. Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2020. The study population consisted of 82 physicians working in 3 polyclinics of the SSO in Urmia, which was determined by census. The instrument used in this study is a self-designed questionnaire that the validity of it was determined based on the opinions of experts and its reliability was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: The results showed that in the section of documentation and access to information, the highest score was related to the possibility of drug prescribe (4.58), request for examination and radiology (4.44). In terms of decision support capabilities, the highest score for providing alerts related to drug interactions (4.18) and controlling the amount of medication prescribed for chronic patients (3.83) and also in the field of technical capabilities, the highest score related to easy to use (3.87) and fit of user interface (3.66). Conclusion: The e-prescription system under survey has gained fewer score in some capabilities, such as access to pharmaceutical information based on reliable sources, advice to treatment options based on original diagnosis and the customized system. Therefore the system developer should be improved capabilities of it through communicating properly with users and understanding their real needs.