Communication Case - Electronic Prescription

Communication Paper

Communication is an essential factor to health care providers interacting with other health professions and patients. The health care industry has several developments and add-ons to traditional interactions methods accessible to patients and health care professionals. Technology has played a part in the development and add-ons to the traditional form of communication in the health industry. One important technology enhancement in the health industry beneficial to health providers and patients is electronic prescription known as e-prescribing. Electronic prescription has changed the health industry affectively in the way of prescribing medication to patients and the communication between health providers, pharmacists, and consumers.

Electronic Prescription

Electronic prescription is transmitting medication information electronically through computers or hand held devices from a health care provider to a pharmacist's computer. Electronic prescribing replaces the traditional form of communicating prescriptions in the health care industry.

Benefits

The benefits of electronic prescribing reduce the risk of errors associated with poor handwriting on prescriptions, eliminates patient wait time by having the medication ready before he or she arrives to the pharmacy.

Maintaining patient confidentiality. The American Pharmacist Association ( 2009)website [ to prevent possible breaches in patient confidentiality, an e-prescribing system must safeguard the safekeeping of patient information to the fullest degree achievable; such the integrity of communication from prescriber directly to pharmacist should not negotiate]. The systems must protect health care decisions and preserve the integrity of the prescriber-patient pharmacist relationship. In addition, the use of electronic prescribing retrieving personal health information has an obligation to comply with every part of the business, confidentiality, and safekeeping requirements of HIPPA as well as state laws that exceed the government regulations.

How does e-prescribing differ from traditional prescription methods.

Traditional prescription methods are wrote out on a prescription pad written out by health providers where patients walk the prescriptions into the pharmacy and the patient has to wait for the pharmacist to fill the medication. The method of e-prescribing has no handwritten prescription all prescription are sent out electronically to the pharmacy the consumer chose, consumers arrive to the pharmacy, and the prescription is ready at time of arrival.

How may media and social networking change communication in health care.

Media and social networking can change or have an impact on today's health care environment. The media and social