Implementation of a shared medication list: physicians' views on availability, accuracy and confidentiality

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Record Systems
• Patient Data Management

Background:

• Accurate and secure patient drug prescription information is crucial for healthcare.
• Swedish counties have increasingly adopted regionally shared medication lists.
• Challenges exist in balancing information accessibility with data privacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate physicians' perspectives on changes in accuracy, availability, and confidentiality.
• To assess the impact of transitioning from local to regional medication lists.
• To identify key factors for successful shared medication list implementation.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with physicians (n=7).
• Focus on physicians' experiences after transitioning to a regionally shared medication list.
• Analysis of views on information accuracy, availability, and confidentiality.

Main Results:

• Shared lists significantly improved information availability, consolidating data in one accessible location.
• Perceived potential for increased accuracy, though completeness varied with non-current drug entries.
• Increased risk to patient privacy necessitates enhanced IT security and data protection measures.

Conclusions:

• Physicians view regional medication lists as enhancing prescription information accessibility and potentially accuracy.
• Confidentiality remains a concern, requiring robust security protocols.
• Recommendations include clear responsibilities, early IT security consideration, and patient involvement.