The Austrian e-Medikation pilot evaluation: lessons learned from a national medication list.

The objective of this paper is to present results and recommendations from the Austrian e-Medikation pilot project. e-Medikation comprises a national medication list of all prescribed and dispensed medications as well as central medication checks. Evaluation was based on log-file analysis and survey of all participants (physicians, pharmacists, patients). During the evaluation period, 97 physicians, 58 pharmacies and more than 5.000 patients, participated. All user groups found that e-Medikation has the potential to improve patient safety, but that software quality and system architecture is not yet suitable for routine use. The evaluation resulted in 34 recommendations for further development and roll out of e-Medikation in Austria. Most of these recommendations have already been included in the recently passed law concerning the upcoming Austrian electronic health record system called "ELGA".