IJERPH, Vol. 18, Pages 9769: A Survey of Patients` Opinions and Preferences on the Use of E-Prescriptions in Poland (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)

E-prescription is already used in many countries, improving the standard of patient care. Officially, from 8 January 2020 e-prescribing has been obligated in Poland. Physicians` and pharmacists` opinions on e-prescribing have been widely researched and reported in the literature. In contrast, patients` perception has, to date, received little attention. For this reason, the aim of this study was to find the features and functionalities of e-prescribing that are desired by the public and influence the positive evaluation of this tool, according to patient opinion. In order to obtain data, a questionnaire was completed by 456 randomly selected adults. The obtained results indicated that only eight people (1.8%) did not know what e-prescription is. Of the remaining 448 individuals, 72.1% prefer e-prescription because it is more convenient for them. Most patients (62.1%) also recognize that e-prescribing makes it easier to purchase medications on behalf of another patient. Based on the study, it can be concluded that e-prescription is well evaluated by Polish patients. A large percentage of respondents were positive about obtaining prescriptions for continued treatment, without a personal doctor visit. Therefore, it is reasonable to maintain the possibility of such contact with a physician. The most popular, and preferred, method of receiving e-prescriptions is via SMS. However, it is necessary to offer different options for obtaining prescriptions, to meet the needs of different populations.