Collaborative Leadership Impact on Patient Safety Through Effective Electronic Prescribing Systems

Medication errors are a leading cause of preventable harm, contributing to approximately 237 million errors annually worldwide, with severe cases leading to patient fatalities and increased hospital costs. Electronic prescribing systems (e-prescribing) aim to reduce these errors by digitizing medication orders, yet their successful implementation faces challenges such as resistance to change, workflow disruptions, and inadequate training. This issue is particularly significant in healthcare, as ineffective medication management compromises patient safety and increases healthcare burdens. This systematic review examines how collaborative leadership influences e-prescribing adoption and effectiveness in improving patient safety. The databases used include PubMed and Google Scholar, with search criteria focused on studies published between 2015 and 2024. Key themes emerging from the review include leadership styles influencing e-prescribing success, collaborative leadership mitigating adoption barriers, and e-prescribing’s impact on patient safety outcomes. These themes highlight the essential role of leadership in healthcare technology integration, ensuring error reduction and operational efficiency. Future research can explore the long-term impact of leadership on e-prescribing sustainability through a quantitative study analyzing prescription error rates over time and a qualitative study investigating healthcare professionals’ experiences with leadership-driven e-prescribing implementation.