Barriers and Opportunities to Implementing Electronic Prescription Software in Public Libyan Hospitals

Electronic prescription software (e-prescribing) benefits patients and physicians by preventing handwriting errors and giving accurate prescriptions. E-prescribing allows prescriptions to be written and sent to pharmacies electronically instead of using handwritten notes. Significant factors that may affect the adoption of e-prescription systems include lack of technical support, financial resources to operate the systems, and change resistance from some clinicians, which have been identified as barriers to implementing e-prescription systems. This study aims to explore the trends and opinions of physicians and pharmacists about e-prescriptions and identify the obstacles and benefits of applying e-prescriptions in health care systems. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at three Libyan public hospitals. Data were collected through a self-constructed questionnaire to assess the opinions regarding potential constraining factors and benefits of implementing e-prescribing systems in hospitals. Data was presented as mean, frequency distribution table, cross-tabulation, and bar charts. Data analysis was performed, and the results show that technical, financial, and organizational obstacles are the most important obstacles preventing e-prescribing systems’ application in Libyan hospitals. In addition, there was awareness of the benefits of e-prescribing, especially reducing medication dispensing errors, and a desire of physicians and pharmacists to use electronic prescriptions.