چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background:The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is becoming increasingly common in health care settings.
Research shows that EMRs have the potential to reduce instances of medication errors and improve communication
between pharmacists and prescribers; however, more research is required to demonstrate whether this is true. This
study aims to determine the effect of a newly implemented EMR system on communication between
pharmacists and primary care clinicians.
Methods:A retrospective chart analysis of primary care EMR data comparing faxed pharmacy communications captured
before and after the implementation of an EMR system at an academic family medicine clinic. Communication requests
were classified into the following various categories: refill accepted, refill denied, clarification, incorrect dose, interaction,
drug insurance/coverage application, new prescription request, supplies request, continued care information, duplicate fax
substitution, opioid early release request, confirmation by phone call, and other.
Results:The number and percentage of clarification requests, interaction notifications, and incorrect dose
notifications were lower after the implementation of the EMR system. The number and percentage of refills
accepted and new prescription requests increased after the implementation of the EMR system.
Conclusion:The implementation of an EMR in an academic family medicine clinic had a significant effect on the
volume of communication between pharmacists and prescribers. The amount of clarification requests and incorrect
dosing communications decreased after EMR implementation. This suggests that EMRs improve prescribing safety. The
increased amount of refills accepted and new prescription requests post EMR implementation suggests that the EMR is
capable of changing prescription patterns.