OBJECTIVES: This project was conducted as part of a federally funded national pilot to evaluate electronic prescribing in the community practice setting. The objective of this analysis was to measure the attitudes of chain community pharmacists and technicians toward e-prescribing and the processing of e-prescriptions. METHODS: A self-administered survey was distributed to pharmacists and technicians practicing in 422 stores operated by seven chain pharmacy organizations in six states. RESULTS: A total of 1094 surveys were returned from pharmacy personnel practicing in 276 stores. Pharmacy personnel rated e-prescriptions as preferred to conventional prescriptions on each of seven desired outcomes of care. Pharmacists were found to view e-prescribing more positively than technicians (p<0.05) for its net effect on three key outcomes: patient safety, effectiveness of care and efficiency of care. No differences were found between personnel classes in their overall satisfaction with e-prescribing as all were found to be moderately satisfied when comparing this technology to conventional prescribing and prescription processing. A total of 2235 written comments were received on the returned surveys. Of these, 57% (1,277) mentioned negative features of e-prescribing, while 43% (958) were positive features. Among the positive features mentioned, improved clarity and/or legibility of prescriptions was the most frequently cited advantage of e-prescribing, followed closely by improved speed or efficiency of processing. Prescribing errors, particularly those containing a wrong drug or wrong directions were the most commonly cited negative feature of e-prescribing (34.1%). CONCLUSION: Chain pharmacy personnel are generally satisfied with the current status of e-prescribing, but also perceive key weaknesses in how it has been implemented in physicians' practices and their own organizations. From analysis of the data and follow-up interviews, twelve (12) best practice recommendations are offered to improve e-prescribing in the community setting.