Reduction in Medication Errors after Implementation

Reduction in Medication Errors after Implementation

New Zealand, June 19, 2013 - The New Zealand Ministry of Health has awarded CSC a five-year, NZ$17 million contract for the provision of its in-hospital prescribing and administration solution, MedChart, to all 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) across the country.

Sponsored jointly by the National Health IT Board, and the Health Quality and Safety Commission, the country's eMedicines program aims to improve patient health through the use of electronic medication management (eMM) systems, which deliver high-quality information and resources to care-giving hospital staff.

Recent studies, including two studies carried out at Sydney's St Vincent's Public Hospital, which runs MedChart across all wards in its hospital, show improved outcomes after implementing eMM systems. At St. Vincent's Public Hospital, prescribing errors went down 57 percent and serious medication errors went down 44 percent, while incomplete and unclear orders have been virtually eliminated through the use of MedChart, according to research from Professor Johanna Westbrook of the University of New South Wales. A post-implementation study carried out at Dunedin Hospital in New Zealand, demonstrated significant error reduction when MedChart was used.

"This work supports our clinical colleagues in improving patient safety in the hospital environment. It's a priority for New Zealanders to have access to a list of their medicines wherever they are in the health journey," said Graeme Osborne, Director of the Ministry of Health's National Health IT Board. "The agreement lays the foundation for ongoing collaboration with key IT vendors to innovate within the New Zealand health sector."

"We've long known about the harm and cost of medication errors. Through the implementation of eMM systems in countries around the world, we can now see significant improvements in medication safety, better patient outcomes and less expensive care," said James Rice, CSC's industry general manager for the healthcare in the Asia-Pacific region. "We are seeing steady increases in public and private hospitals selecting MedChart, a strategic and differentiated offering for us in the healthcare market."

In addition, CSC secured a second contract, valued at NZ$2.6 million over five years, for the implementation of its ePharmacy solution in New Zealand's Midland Region. CSC will implement a hosted version of its in-hospital dispensing software across six DHBs.

MedChart is a web-based solution that supports electronic prescribing, pharmacy reviews, drug administration and clinical decision-making. It is in use at hospitals in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The New Zealand Ministry of Health awarded these contracts in the fourth quarter of CSC's 2013 fiscal year.

ENDS

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