Health informatics Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Health informatics - Research Proposal Example The challenge is not only increased by the chances of errors in prescriptions resulting out of lack of clarity of the handwritten prescriptions, but also from the pharmacists losing the handwritten prescriptions in the shuffle process of issuing drugs (Beuscart-ZÃ ©phir, 2005). Thus, due to the lack of electronic systems that are able to track the movement of the prescription orders from the patient wards to the hospital pharmacy, the efficiency and accuracy of dispensing prescription drugs is adversely affected (Weant, Cook, & Armitstead, 2007). Computerized pharmacy order entry systems have been suggested as potential solutions to the challenges of inpatient drug prescribing errors (Roberts, et al., 2013). Computerized order entry by the prescribing physicians enables the patient’s drug prescriptions to be transmitted electronically from the physician departments to the pharmacy department of hospitals. The essence of the use of the computerized pharmacy order entry systems is to eliminate the handwritten order prescriptions being transmitted from the physicians to the pharmacists. The suggestion for the implementation of computerized pharmacy order management system is pegged on the premise that the automated system is advantageous both in cost-savings and also in drug prescription safety enhancement (Lai, Yokoyama, Louie & Lightwood, 2007). There is no doubt that the major impact of a computerized pharmacy order entry system is to improve the legibility of the prescription orders. This is in turn observed to be fu ndamental for eliminating the medication errors that arises out of wrong drugs issuance by pharmacists, following the ineligibility of the prescription orders. Lack of legibility of the handwritten pharmacy orders can result in the pharmacists dispensing the wrong and even potentially dangerous drugs to the patients (Troiano, 1999). The benefits associated with the automation of the pharmacy ordering process within