ArticleExploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy2026
Transition to electronic prescriptions in pharmacies: Workflows, services, and access to medication - A mixed methods approach.
Article in Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Community pharmacists' views on the implementation of a national electronic prescription transfer system to pharmacies: A cross-sectional survey.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Germany's declining number of pharmacies raised concerns about patients' access to medication. To address this, pharmacies have started offering (digital) services, including analog and digital options such as phone consultation or medication delivery. According to existing literature, these services could improve access to medication. However, before the introduction of electronic prescriptions (ePs) in 2022, using these services in Germany was cumbersome. Objectives: Given this context, the aim of the study was to examine the challenges and potentials of electronic prescriptions in German pharmacies. Methods: A two-stage sequential mixed methods approach was used, combining semi-structured interviews with an online survey among 1215 pharmacists. Results: Nearly half of surveyed pharmacists (49.3%) supported the transition to electronic prescriptions, while 37.0% opposed it. Technical errors were widespread (mentioned by 90.5%) and disrupted both dispensing and service workflows. Over half (53.3%) believed ePs worsened in-pharmacy pick-up for patients, while 59.3% saw no major effect on (digital) services. More than one in four (28.5%) observed improvements in medication delivery through digital transfer, but many noted increased competition from large online pharmacies, increased workflow complexity, limited perceived patient demand and low profitability. Conclusion: Electronic prescriptions were associated with many challenges for pharmacists. Although they might have the potential to improve patient access to medications, this remains limited by technical instability, low patient digital literacy, and pharmacists' perceptions of limited usefulness. Enhancing pharmacist and patient experiences by reducing technical errors, ensuring profitability of (digital) services, and improving patients' readiness is essential to realize the potential of ePs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.