Pharmacists welcome improvements to prescribers’ software

MEDIA RELEASE

30 August 2011

Community pharmacists welcome improvements to prescribers’ software

Changes made by Medtech Global to its prescribing software will help reduce prescription errors and enhance patient safety, says the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand.

Guild Chief Executive, Annabel Young, says the improvements will be evident in the new Release 20 software that Medtech is planning on making available from October this year.

Ms Young says the changes have come out of a lengthy consultation between Medtech and pharmacists and she especially wanted to thank Board member, Graeme Blanchard, for his work on this project.

She says the changes signalled by Medtech are the result of the company’s willingness to engage with the community pharmacy sector to improve prescribing safety.

“They include some failsafe measures that prevent prescriptions being printed or delivered if they have not been completed accurately. This will save both doctors and pharmacists time and ensure errors are reduced.”

Medtech is the largest provider of Practice Management System technology in New Zealand primary healthcare. Its services include prescribing software used by GPs, specialists, dentists and midwives.

Some of the changes made include:

• when a new prescription with a zero quantity or an empty dosage is saved, a pop-up screen will be displayed asking the user if they wish to continue

• when a user attempts to print a prescription for a controlled drug, a pop-up screen will be displayed informing the user that controlled drug prescriptions cannot be computer generated

• when a prescription with no instructions is saved, a pop-up screen will be displayed, informing the user that no instructions have been issued for this prescription.

“The Guild acknowledges that there is more work to be done but sees the changes as a welcome start,” said Ms Young.

ENDS

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