Comparison of Electronic Prescription Systems in the European Union: Benchmarking Development, Use, and Future Trends

Abstract

While Electronic Prescription Systems (EPS) adoption varies across EU Member States, there's a lack of comprehensive comparative analysis. Existing studies focus on single EPSs, employ diverse methodologies, and lack up-to-date data. This study fills this gap by providing a comprehensive overview of EPS development, functionalities, and usage statistics in each EU Member State. Most EU Member States widely adopted EPS by 2022, with exceptions including Germany, France, and Luxembourg, where pilot projects or just plans existed at that time. Out of the 27 EPSs, 25 employ a similar design featuring a central server and end-user software or web-based applications. Among these, 22 are structured as single national systems. The fundamental technical solution is remarkably similar across the EU. Despite these similarities, functionalities, authentication methods, prescription validity, and medication coverage differ significantly among EPSs. A multinational team, including co-authors from each EU Member State, collected data using a structured questionnaire. The study underscores the need for standardized methodologies in EPS research and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive comparative analysis to inform healthcare policies and digitalization efforts.