A study in Medical Care investigated how the use of electronic prescriptions impacted the outcomes of patients with diabetes.
The researchers — led by Meghan Hufstader Gabriel, PhD, a health management and informatics researcher at University of Central Florida in Orlando — identified 3.1 million Medicare beneficiaries over the age of 66 with diabetes. They examined how using prescriptions transmitted to the pharmacy electronically impacted emergency department visits or hospitalizations for hypoglycemia or diabetes-related adverse drug events.
The researchers identified 21 adverse drug events per 1,000 beneficiaries who had 75 percent or more of their medications prescribed electronically. Those with lower electronic prescription levels had significantly higher numbers of adverse drug events. The researchers also saw an association between higher electronic prescription levels and lower risk of ED visits and inpatient hospitalizations.