Using stakeholder perspectives to develop an ePrescribing toolkit for NHS Hospitals: a questionnaire study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how an online toolkit may support ePrescribing deployments in National Health Service hospitals, by assessing the type of knowledge-based resources currently sought by key stakeholders. DESIGN: Questionnaire-based survey of attendees at a national ePrescribing symposium. SETTING: 2013 National ePrescribing Symposium in London, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-four delegates were eligible for inclusion in the survey, of whom 70 completed and returned the questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Estimate of the usefulness and type of content to be included in an ePrescribing toolkit. RESULTS: Interest in a toolkit designed to support the implementation and use of ePrescribing systems was high (n = 64; 91.4%). As could be expected given the current dearth of such a resource, few respondents (n = 2; 2.9%) had access or used an ePrescribing toolkit at the time of the survey. Anticipated users for the toolkit included implementation (n = 62; 88.6%) and information technology (n = 61; 87.1%) teams, pharmacists (n = 61; 87.1%), doctors (n = 58; 82.9%) and nurses (n = 56; 80.0%). Summary guidance for every stage of the implementation (n = 48; 68.6%), planning and monitoring tools (n = 47; 67.1%) and case studies of hospitals’ experiences (n = 45; 64.3%) were considered the most useful types of content. CONCLUSIONS: There is a clear need for reliable and up-to-date knowledge to support ePrescribing system deployments and longer term use. The findings highlight how a toolkit may become a useful instrument for the management of knowledge in the field, not least by allowing the exchange of ideas and shared learning.