Prescription digitization, online preservation, and retrieval on a smartphone

BACKGROUND: Medical records are important documents that should be stored for at least 3 years after the commencement of the treatment of an adult patient in India. In a health care facility, patients' data is saved in an online or offline retrieval system. However, in the case of the primary care physician, the data is not commonly kept in an easily retrievable system. AIM: To test the feasibility of using a set of free web-based services in digitization, preservation, and retrieval of prescription on a smartphone by primary care physicians. METHODS: This study was conducted with 12 primary care physicians. They were provided hands-on guides on creating an online form for uploading a prescription and using an application for retrieval of the prescription on a smartphone. Their feedback on the training material was collected by a telephonic survey, which had a 10-point Likert-type response option. Then, an in-depth interview was conducted to ascertain their perception on the tutorial and the process of digitization and retrieval system. RESULTS: All of the participants were able to create an online form on their smartphone. They uploaded their prescription and associated data and were able to retrieve it. The physicians opined positively on the “cost of the system,” “portability” on a smartphone and ease of the “tutorial”. They opined negatively on the “limited storage,” chances of “loss of data,” and “time constraints” for entry of the patients' data. CONCLUSION: Free web-based and smartphone applications can be used by a primary care physician for personal storage and retrieval of prescriptions. The simple tutorial presented in this article would help many primary care physicians in resource-limited settings.