Development of a National Roadmap for Electronic Prescribing Implementation

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Health Information Exchange Standards

Background:

• Multi-stakeholder workgroup convened by Iran Food and Drug Administration in July 2015.
• Focus on developing recommendations for electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) implementation in Iran.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a roadmap for incremental e-prescribing implementation.
• Prioritize solutions reducing patient, provider, and payer burden.
• Leverage existing national standards for Health Information Interchange.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a road mapping method based on the scientific method.
• Conducted scoping reviews, systematic reviews, and Health Technology Assessment.
• Gathered evidence from peer-reviewed literature, gray literature, and expert experiences.

Main Results:

• Recommendations finalized after five expert panel meetings.
• Compared and contrasted national and international evidence.
• Reported finalized recommendations from the e-prescribing roadmap.

Conclusions:

• The developed roadmap provides a strategic approach for e-prescribing implementation in Iran.
• Focus on incremental adoption and utilization of national standards is key.
• Recommendations aim to streamline the prescribing process and reduce healthcare burdens.