Commission Chief Executive Dr Janice Wilson and National Programme Director eMedicines Anton Venter visited North Shore Hospital on 14 March 2013 to celebrate the implementation of electronic prescribing.
Clinical Director for Geriatrics, John Scott, and nurse Ann Leighton demonstrate using the new electronic prescribing system to improve efficiency and accuracy in Waitemata District Health Board hospital wards.
Electronic Medication Prescribing and Administration (ePA) makes it easier for health professionals to prescribe, administer, access and share information about patients’ medications, which will further improve patient safety and quality of care.
Waitemata District Health Board (DHB) is the first DHB in the Northern Region to start ePrescribing, now introduced to 55 beds in two wards at North Shore Hospital.
Four lead DHBs have implemented ePrescribing in North Shore, Taranaki and Dunedin hospitals as part of the national eMedicines programme, which is sponsored jointly by the Commission and the National Health IT Board.
The ePA system is nationally consistent and includes the computerised entry of prescriptions and electronic administration reminders. One of the benefits of ePA is that it will reduce the risk of patients experiencing avoidable errors with their medication, such as being prescribed a medicine they are recorded as being allergic to.