ISO 17523:2016 specifies the requirements that apply to electronic prescriptions. It describes generic principles that are considered important for all electronic prescriptions.

ISO 17523:2016 is constrained to the content of the electronic prescription itself, the digital document which is issued by a prescribing healthcare professional and received by a dispensing healthcare professional. The prescribed medicinal product is to be dispensed through an authorized healthcare professional with the aim of being administered to a human patient. Other messages, roles and scenarios (e.g. validation of a prescription, administration, medication charts, EHR of the patient, reimbursement of care and dispensed products) are out of scope of this International Standard, because they are more or less country or region specific, due to differences in culture and in legislation of healthcare. However, requirements and content of electronic prescriptions within the context of jurisdictions have a relationship with these scenarios. The way in which electronic prescriptions are made available or exchanged also fall outside the scope of this International Standard.

ISO 17523:2016 is applicable to electronic prescriptions of medicinal products. Although other kinds of products (e.g. medical devices, wound care products) can be ordered by means of an electronic prescription, the requirements in this International Standard are aimed at medicinal products that have a market authorization and at pharmaceutical preparations which are compounded in a pharmacy. An electronic prescription is an information object that authorizes a healthcare professional to legally dispense a medicinal product.

ISO 17523:2016 specifies a list of data elements that can be considered as essential for electronic prescriptions, depending on jurisdiction or clinical setting (primary healthcare, hospital, etc.).