On Wednesday, the Federal Govt announced The plan is to reform how drugs are distributed and tracked, with the aim of reducing unsafe use, hoarding and “doctor shopping”.
It will involve two phases. First, the federal government would require all online and telehealth prescribers to upload details about a patient's prescribed medications to their health record.
Second, the federal government intends to develop a National Drug Record -A more arching Database To register and monitor all existing prescriptions.
So, how will it work? Although some details are still lacking, we do know.
Why is it needed?
An increasing variety of Australians take multiple medications. Recent Research An evaluation of prescribing patterns in Australia estimates that just about two million of us will take five or more prescribed drugs in 2024.
While management often requires multiple medications Multiple conditionsthere are Risks of opposed effects.
And when a physician or pharmacist prescribes a drug and not using a full understanding of a patient's current medications, it might probably result in harmful interactions between them.
It could make the patient sick and infrequently land them within the hospital. one Estimated 1.5 million people in Australia experience some variety of harmful side effect from using medication annually.
Those at particular risk are older adults, in addition to those taking multiple medications Transition between health care settings (like going to the hospital or going back home).
Sometimes patients too Stockpile drugsincluding including Consulting multiple doctorsgenerally known as “doctor shopping”. For example, they might do that to get an additional supply of addiction pain medication.
How does it work now?
Currently, there isn't any central, mandatory register that records all medicines prescribed and allotted to an individual.
Instead, prescribing information may be determined from hospital and aged care systems, general practice records and online telehealth providers resembling InstantScript, 13Sky and HolaHealth.
This can prevent any doctor or pharmacist from having clear, comprehensive details about a patient's medication.
something Health Care Practitioner And Pharmacy Bodies have criticized the net prescription industry, specifically, for participating in inappropriate prescribing and drug abuse.
For high-risk drugs like opioids, there may be already one Real time prescription monitoring system. Victoria has the same system Safe scriptnevertheless it doesn't record the total range of prescribed drugs.
Health Minister Mark Butler announcing the reforms Referred to An Australian woman who died of an overdose after hoarding her medication. He described his parents' advocacy as forcing the federal government to handle the shortage of a comprehensive medication record.
What will change?
First, the federal government will need a web-based and telehealth prescribing platform to incorporate information. My health record System on Prescribed Medicines. It will include details about it Clinical reasoning to suggest.
My health record is a government run platform that gives a secure, online collection of patient health information. Both patients and their clinical care professionals can access it.
So any medication or related medical information uploaded by a prescription will likely be accessible to the patient, in addition to their healthcare providers and pharmacists, via My Health Record.
Many common practices Upload already This information, nonetheless, is probably not a web-based suggestion platform. Organizations representing pharmacists This type of change has long been called for.
Will it work?
In theory, it is a step forward. The challenge is that my health record system is underutilized. One in 10 Australians I do not need a health record (system opt-out).
For the thousands and thousands of Australians who've a My Health Record, its use is on the rise. But many still have never accessed their records.
It can be unclear whether a patient's access to the patient's own health record can reduce the lack of medication (especially if the patient is intentionally hoarding the medication).
Almost all GPs, pharmacies and public hospitals are registered for my health record and use this method. But the information The shows Pharmacies are primarily using it to upload information reasonably than allowing others to view uploaded records.
Overall, ensuring that every one medication information is offered on my health record is a positive step.
But this doesn't mean that the knowledge will likely be accessed (or understood) by others who're prescribing and dishing out the drug to the patient.
In fact, sadly, the warnings that were placed by hospital services on my health record of the young woman who died of an overdose They were not accessed through telehealth services nor pharmacies Prescribing and supplying him with medicine.
What's next?
As a second step, the federal government says it'll design and construct a national drug record. This will likely be a vital platform to connect with my health records and other digital health systems, to register all existing prescriptions.
At this stage, details are lacking, but Health Care Practitioner And Pharmacy bodies are widely supported.
a Counseling In progress.