7,000 people die and at least 1.5 million are harmed

At least 7,000 people died every year due to problems related to written prescriptions according to the advocates of National ePrescribing Patient Safety Initiative. This was revealed in a news conference recently.

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"In the 21st century, the legibility of a doctor's handwriting should not determine whether a patient lives or dies," said Gingrich, who founded the advocacy group Center for Health Transformation.

"Yet the paper prescription system has remained essentially unchanged for 200 years. There is simply no excuse for medical errors when they are caused by an antiquated system that can easily be modernized and replaced," Gingrich added.

Dr. Nancy Dickey, former president of the American Medical Association, called electronic prescribing a way to improve patient safety.

"You would think if you were a pharmacist and you couldn't clearly read what I (as a doctor) had written, that you would simply pick up the phone and call. But it's astonishing how often they make their best guess," said Dickey, president of the Texas A&M University Health Science Center.

About a fifth of U.S. doctors currently prescribe drugs electronically, with the rest using pen and paper.

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http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6150715.html