Does EPS do high volume?

[Pharmanaut]

I find EPS totally unusable.

We have about 30 or 40 scripts come each day under the collection service.

I can usually have all of those labelled and ready to dispense in the time it takes to for my colleague to batch scan 5 or 10 coded ones, wait for the bloomin things to arrive, fiddle about with the whole address issue, and then inevitably have to correct most of the doses because the system doesnt recognise what the doctors written.

Utter waste of time in its current state im afraid IMO.

The system does not recognise the directions because the standard dosage syntax has not yet been implemented. Find out more about it on the DM+D website.
Some of the systems feed the prescribed directions straight through to the label, which cases problems, especially if the dose needs to be converted to intervals for your Nursing Homes.

Also - if the prescription comes in, matches up automatically, prints the labels automatically and we just stick it on the box, put the stuff in a bag and hand it out - why are we needed?

Don't reduce the sensitivity of your dispensing radar when using EPS.

[Defblade]

Don't reduce the sensitivity of your dispensing radar when using EPS.

I seem to be upping it at the moment, even if I'm not scanning them!

All much slower due to having to change directions etc as mentioned above.

And then I got a beauty last week:

"Hydrocortisone cream 0.5%
30g"

....fine so far..... but the directions:

"50% HYDROCORTISONE WITH 50% AQUEOUS CREAM"

So scanning that would have been a nightmare as the doctor intended a special but there's no way the system would accept that...... not a bad work around pre-EPS but useless now/soon.

[Pharmanaut]

I seem to be upping it at the moment, even if I'm not scanning them!

All much slower due to having to change directions etc as mentioned above.

And then I got a beauty last week:

"Hydrocortisone cream 0.5%
30g"

....fine so far..... but the directions:

"50% HYDROCORTISONE WITH 50% AQUEOUS CREAM"

So scanning that would have been a nightmare as the doctor intended a special but there's no way the system would accept that...... not a bad work around pre-EPS but useless now/soon.

Please do this...
Get a copy of the script and send it to the clinical safety person at your PMR suppliers for notification to CfH.
...it will help the rest of us.

[JonF]

Also - if the prescription comes in, matches up automatically, prints the labels automatically and we just stick it on the box, put the stuff in a bag and hand it out - why are we needed?

Clinical checks etc? If EPS worked as it should and speeded up process it would free us up to do other things, diabetes checks etc etc etc.

[JonF]

You want progress? move to Wales!
Wave goodbye to Rx charges and ETP, Hello sheep!

You mentioned sheep in another thread! Is there something your not telling us???!!!!

[Pharmanaut]

Clinical checks etc? If EPS worked as it should and speeded up process it would free us up to do other things, diabetes checks etc etc etc.

Good point - and agree that's what we are really there to do.
Where in the EPS worklow should the clinical check occur?
Most often you need to look at the patient history to spot things.
When dispensing paper scripts this is done at the same time as selecting the items for repeat.

My other concern is that when EPS speeds up how can we not feel pressured to keep up the pace of work with the computer.

[Zoggite]

You mentioned sheep in another thread! Is there something your not telling us???!!!!

Only that they're everywhere you look around here, and that Lambing Season is about to commence... Mint sauce, anyone?

[JonF]

Where in the EPS worklow should the clinical check occur?

I personally like to clinically check whilst i'm labelling the Rx, then i can look at history at the same time. However that is not always possible and i have to rely on my dispensers to see if dosages have changed etc etc.

I agree that this will not be as easy when doing Rx by EPS and I'm not sure whether a workable solution is available with Proscript, the software we have.

Has anyone involved with the design etc. of EPS actually asked pharmacists on the front line as to how EPS should be working? I suspect not..

[Pharmanaut]

I personally like to clinically check whilst i'm labelling the Rx, then i can look at history at the same time. However that is not always possible and i have to rely on my dispensers to see if dosages have changed etc etc.

I agree that this will not be as easy when doing Rx by EPS and I'm not sure whether a workable solution is available with Proscript, the software we have.

Has anyone involved with the design etc. of EPS actually asked pharmacists on the front line as to how EPS should be working? I suspect not..

Suspect that you are right.
Wonder if the guy on here who looks after Nexphase could comment?

[johnep]

First rule of designing the system is to treat the end user like mushrooms.
johnep