What is a common limitation of electronic prescribing systems?

• A. They eliminate all safety risks
• B. They require no workflow changes
• C. They ensure perfect data entry
• D. Alert fatigue and data-entry errors can occur

Answer: (D)

Electronic prescribing systems improve safety by digitizing orders and providing decision support, but they come with real limitations. A key issue is alert fatigue: clinicians can become desensitized by frequent warnings, leading them to override important safety alerts or pay less attention to them. At the same time, data-entry errors can still occur—like selecting the wrong medication or dose from drop-down menus, or inputting patient information inaccurately—which can introduce new risks into the prescription. Because of these factors, e-prescribing does not eliminate safety risks or automatically ensure perfect data entry, and it often requires changes to workflows to be used effectively.