Recip-e: The electronic prescription system for ambulatory care in Belgium

Abstract

Next to keeping and sharing adequate electronic health records, electronic prescriptions (for ambulatory care) are most beneficial for the quality of care and costeffectiveness of the health care system. In Belgium, the Recip-e project was launched to provide an efficient solution for electronic ambulatory prescriptions, matching the legal and organizational requirements of the health system and allowing a painless transition from the paper to the electronic format. After a thorough study, implementation was realized and a pilot comprising about one hundred physicians and pharmacists was held. In this paper, we explain the architecture of the system and present the results of the pilot phase, that currently leads to the "national deployment". After pharmaceutical (drug) prescriptions, physiotherapy and nursing prescriptions will also be handled by the same system. The paper also describes how integration into the social security system and the national e-health platform are performed, to the benefit of all.