Electronic Prescription Service – Are You Convinced?

Community pharmacists are still unconvinced by the benefits of the electronic prescription service (EPS), despite government claims that the system has been a success and can be managed locally.
A survey of 100 pharmacists by the Chemist and Druggist found that only 51% felt the EPS would be good for pharmacy overall. A high percentage said they had concerns about what might happen if the systems went down, with 71% being ‘very concerned’.
The government has thrown its support into the EPS and believes this will bring benefits to pharmacy teams and will improve IT for the benefit of patient wellbeing.
As a pharmacist how do you feel about this new system? Can you see benefits to the paperless system or are the disadvantages e.g.: if the system went down, outweighing the advantages? Do you feel it should be trialled for a longer period of time rather than having it already a service under the control of the NHS? Please let Flame Health know your thoughts.