Good news for Minnesota residents: The state leads the nation in implementing electronic prescriptions. Fox 12 reports that Minnesota currently has the greatest volume of e-prescription usage throughout the U.S., even though this rate currently stands at 70% usage in clinics and 40% in hospitals. The system saves time, but more importantly, it saves lives.
E-prescriptions proven to reduce prescription errors
Recent studies have highlighted the fact that e–prescribing is seven times less likely to cause errors than using traditional prescription methods. E-prescriptions are electronically produced and they are expected to be safer and greatly reduce the number of prescription errors.
E-prescriptions – are there any drawbacks?
One disadvantage of an electronic system is if the whole electronic network ceases to function for even a short period of time, then the e-prescribing would have to be put on hold until the system has been restored. Also, there is always a risk of typing information incorrectly into a computer.
What causes prescription errors?
Every year in the U.S., 7,000 people die as a result of medication mistakes and around 1.5 million people are harmed by errors. When we go to a pharmacist with a prescription, we do not expect to receive the wrong drugs or the wrong dosage as we have faith in our health professionals, but these errors are still quite common.
There are several causes of prescription errors, which are:
These errors could result in administering incorrect drugs, incorrect dosages or adverse drug reactions. Any of these could lead to long-lasting harm or a devastating change to your quality of life. Widespread usage of e-prescribing can greatly reduce these errors.
If you or a family member suffered side effects after a prescription error, you should get in contact with a prescription error lawyer immediately to discuss filing a claim for compensation for injuries. If you have questions, contact our office today for a free case review at 1-877-342-2020 for a free consultation.
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