Prescribers’ and Pharmacists’ Perception of Adoption and Implementation of Electronic Prescribing and Medication Management System in Public Health Facilities of Dessie city, Northeast Ethiopia

Abstract Medication errors are one of the major causes of preventable adverse drug effects. Errors associated with prescribing and dispensing are prevalent. Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) offers a solution to mitigate these errors by enhancing legibility, dosing, and remote accessibility. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of prescribers and pharmacists regarding the adoption and implementation of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) and electronic medication management (EMM) systems in public health facilities of Dessie City administration, Northeast Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April 20 to June 25, 2022, in public health facilities of Dessie City administration. A structured self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect data from 201 prescribers and pharmacists. The study was based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 and SmartPLS version 4.0. Nearly 34 (72.5%) of the respondents were males. The majority (88.6%) of the participants had a positive perception towards the use of e-prescribing and EMM systems. The mean score for performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions were 4.29, 4.26, and 4.18, respectively. Perceived facilitating conditions (β = 0.271, p = 0.003), price value (β = 0.239, p = 0.002), performance expectancy (β = 0.237, p = 0.008), and effort expectancy (β = 0.176, p = 0.008) were found to affect the acceptance of e-prescribing and EMM systems among prescribers and pharmacists. Prescribers and pharmacists have a positive perception towards the use of e-prescribing and EMM systems. Perceived facilitating conditions, price value, performance expectancy, and effort expectancy significantly influence acceptance. The effect of perceived credibility on acceptance was fully mediated by performance expectancy. Author Summary Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of e-prescribing and Electronic Medication Management (EMM) systems in reducing medication errors, their adoption in developing countries has been sluggish. Furthermore, there have been reports of a high rate of failure to realize the anticipated benefits following the implementation of electronic information systems. The acceptance of technology by healthcare professionals is one of the major factors influencing the success or failure of health information system implementation. Most of the studies conducted in Africa regarding the acceptance of technology in healthcare predominantly focused on e-prescribing systems. In Ethiopia, studies on technology acceptance within the healthcare sector are limited, with a few studies focusing on the acceptance of EMM systems. To our search, no study has been conducted to assess physicians’ and/or pharmacists’ perceptions regarding the acceptance of e-prescribing and EMM systems in Ethiopia. Our study aims to assess the acceptance of e-prescribing and EMM systems by prescribers and pharmacists and the factors influencing the acceptance of these systems in public health facilities of Dessie city administration, North East Ethiopia using a modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. The findings of our study are likely to be a great interest to policy makers, researchers, clinicians, and trainees.