Midland region first to offer clinicians access to national medication data

More than 95% of the Midland region’s clinical staff now have access to national electronic prescription and dispensed medication data in real-time – a first in New Zealand.

The data comes from the New Zealand ePrescribing Service (NZePS) and is accessible to clinicians at Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Taranaki and Waikato district health boards through the Midland Clinical Portal (MCP) – the Midland region’s solution to having a single, shared repository of patient information.

Delivered as an enhancement to the MCP, the NZePS functionality is a visual integration of a direct data feed containing more than 78.2 million dispensing records and 3.7 million e-prescriptions from community and non-hospital pharmacies, including aged-care facilities.

Dr Ian Martin, Chair of the eSPACE Clinical Authority and Clinical Director Emergency at Waikato Hospital, says having visibility of this national data provides a more accurate insight into a patient’s medication history, supporting effective diagnostic and treatment decisions.

“Instances where a patient presents to the ED saying that their GP had given them a ‘little yellow pill’ is common,” says Dr Martin.

“Being able to determine what medication a patient is likely to be taking is critical in providing quality healthcare.”

NZePS data is managed by Whanau Tahi on behalf of the Ministry of Health. Hauora Tairāwhiti have chosen to provide access to its clinical staff at a later time.

Source: HealthShare media release, 19 June 2019

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