Patients divided on pharmacy records
Patient opinion is divided over whether pharmacists should have access to electronic records, with more than a quarter opposing such a move. A survey by the Patients Association found that more than 50% of patients are willing for their electronic records to be seen by pharmacists, but that just over 25% are strongly opposed to the idea. […]
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Guidance aims to boost use of EPS release one
Pharmacy bodies and Connecting for Health have teamed up to issue new guidance for pharmacists on release one of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in an attempt to boost take up of the service.
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Individual Health Record extended to acute care
Informing Healthcare has announced that the Individual Health Record has been used for the first time in acute care. Staff at the Medical Assessment Unit of the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport have been given access to the IHR, which is drawn from GP records and contains key details about a patient’s medical history. The […]
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London pharmacies use SMS for stop smoking drive
Pharmacies in London are to use text messaging to launch a smoking cessation campaign and offer customers support to kick the habit. The pharmacies will use iPLATO’s Patient Care Messaging for Pharmacies service to validate smoking status, invite “quitters” to smoking cessation services and “follow up” with them over a year. They will also receive […]
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Cegedim Rx launches patient txt messaging
Pharmacy systems supplier, Cegedim Rx are to launch a new patient messaging system called Message Dynamics as part of Pharmacy Manager and Nexphase systems. The communications tool has been designed with feedback from the Cegedim Rx User Group and allows pharmacists to communicate directly with their patients via telephone or SMS text about their medications. […]
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Adastra offers e-prescribing to N Ireland customers
Clinicians in Northern Ireland using Adastra’s v3 case management system can now print a 2D barcode on their prescriptions – a requirement of the Northern Ireland Executive’s electronic prescribing system specification. Users of the system can print prescriptions with a 2D barcode at the top, containing structured details about the patient and the drugs prescribed – similar […]
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Scottish pharmacies want emergency records access
Community Pharmacy Scotland, representing the owners of Scotland’s 1200 chemists, has made appropriate access to the Scottish Emergency Care Summary (ECS) part of its manifesto pledges. The organisation has called on the Scottish government to allow community pharmacists to obtain access to the record, when appropriate, as part of their latest manifesto document which lays […]
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Prepare for EPS or face losses, pharmacists warned
A community pharmacy body is warning pharmacists that they face a significant risk to their businesses if they fail to get prepared for the electronic prescription service (EPS). The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents more than 6,000 pharmacy owners, says many of its members do not yet have capability for release one of the […]
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60 Seconds Interview: Neil Kirby
Continuing with our series of articles focusing on the people behind NHS IT, Joe Fernandez interviews Neil Kirby, an Electronic Patient Record pharmacist at the Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust.
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Government backs pharmacist access to EPR
The government has backed plans for pharmacists to be allowed access to electronic patient records but says the public will be consulted on consent and confidentiality issues. Caroline Flint, health minister, told MPs in a Parliamentary written reply last week that the government believed pharmacists would need access to patient records to enable them to […]
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