Alberta's pharmacists, clinicians, and medical associations are expressing deep disappointment following the shutdown of a national digital medical prescription service that ceased operations in May after eight years of service. The platform, known as PrescribeIT, was a digital prescription or e-prescription program launched in 2018 by Canadian Health Infoways, a federally funded not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of digital health solutions across Canada. The system was designed to integrate with the multitude of disparate electronic medical record management and pharmacy management systems in use across the country.
Return to Fax Machines
Mohamoud Ahmed, manager of Windermere Pharmacy in southwest Edmonton, lamented the loss of efficiency. "It was incredibly fast," he said. "Imagine the doctor sends the prescription through PrescribeIT and in less than a minute the pharmacist will have it, and can fill it almost immediately." With the end of PrescribeIT, Ahmed fears a regression to outdated methods. "I just thought, oh my god, we have to send them by fax again," he added. "And we won't know if or when the doctor received it."
Replacement in Development
Canadian Health Infoways has announced that PrescribeIT will be replaced by a "national e-prescription standard" that is currently still in development. However, the transition period leaves a void in digital prescription services, causing frustration among healthcare providers who had come to rely on the platform's efficiency.
Integration Benefits
One of PrescribeIT's most significant advantages was its ability to interface with any data management system used by medical clinics and pharmacies across Alberta. Dr. Douglas Strilchuck, a family physician at Ever Square Medical, noted the diversity of systems in use. "I think there's maybe six electronic medical records systems that are being used across Alberta currently," he explained. When Alberta introduced digital medical records in 2003, clinics had a choice of 15 different systems, not including those designed for medical specialists. Over 23 years, the number of available management systems shrank, but the remaining options still could not share medical data, necessitating fax-based prescriptions. PrescribeIT bridged this gap, enabling all prescriptions to be sent digitally from clinic to pharmacy and vice versa.
Praise from Medical Officials
Ron Shute, medical director of informatics at the Alberta Medical Association, praised the platform's comprehensive functionality. "It did so much," he said. "The renewal requests, for example, came right into the system and became a prescription. There's a secure channel of communication, so you can view the status of a prescription without going outside of your system." Shute, Strilchuck, and Ahmed all highlighted PrescribeIT's ability to handle digital prescriptions for controlled narcotics. Normally, such prescriptions require triplicate paper copies sent to the pharmacist, the clinician, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. PrescribeIT could send all three copies digitally and simultaneously, streamlining a previously cumbersome process.
The end of PrescribeIT marks a significant setback for digital health innovation in Alberta, forcing healthcare providers to revert to less efficient methods while awaiting a new national standard.
