Barriers to Electronic Prescription Circulation Under Employee Medical Insurance Outpatient Coordination: Evidence...

To examine and analyze the barrier factors influencing prescription circulation in Xiangyang City under the outpatient coordination policy and to provide reference evidence for promoting prescription circulation.

To assess the practical implementation of prescription circulation under the outpatient coordination policy in retail pharmacy, a targeted questionnaire survey was administered to clinicians from medical institutions at all levels in Xiangyang City. Chi-square tests and structural equation modeling were employed to systematically identify key implementation challenges and to explore the underlying causes within the current electronic prescription circulation process.

The findings indicated that clinicians in Xiangyang City possessed a high level of awareness regarding electronic prescription circulation policies. However, the actual circulation rate remained low, and circulation willingness was generally neutral to conservative. Professional title and degree of policy understanding were identified as significant factors influencing circulation willingness. Structural equation modeling further demonstrated that policy incentives and regulatory constraints indirectly affected clinicians' willingness through multiple mediating pathways, including system functional deficiencies and patient cognitive biases.

Clinicians in Xiangyang City exhibited high awareness of electronic prescription circulation policies, yet actual circulation rates remained limited, accompanied by neutral to conservative willingness. Complicated system procedures, ambiguous delineation of authority and responsibilities, and insufficient incentive mechanisms constituted the primary barriers to implementation. Policy familiarity and patient misperceptions were confirmed as critical factors influencing clinicians' willingness to participate in prescription circulation.