Electronic health records and e-prescribing are beneficial to society but require net cash injections to prove their value, a European Commission study has found.

A socio-economic analysis showed the societal gains of interoperable EHRs and e-prescribing systems eventually exceed the costs of implementing the technology. It often takes a "considerable length of time" for such return on the IT investment to be realized, the study found.

"This is why investment in such systems is worthwhile, and justifies their net financial boost. A typical development shows a negative financial performance, but can reach annual socio-economic returns of up to 400 percent," according to the report.

It takes at least four and more often up to nine years before initiatives produce their first positive annual socio-economic return, the study found. It takes six to 11 years until a cumulative net benefit can be realized. "Plans to invest in EHRs and e-prescribing systems should have a clear focus on achieving changes at the right time; neither too late, nor too early." The study notes a "paradox" in the fact that due to the complex environment of EHR and e-prescribing systems, longer time scales are generally associated with lower risk of failure.

"EHRs and e-prescribing are not quick wins, they are sustainable wins," the report said.

The full study is available for download in the sidebar on this page.