Pharmacy Management systems

[maano]

Has anyone ever encountered any problem while integrating different hospital or pharmacy management systems?

Like you have a formulary (medicine list) in one software system and you have problem when you use another system and it has different structure of formulary.

[Pharmanaut]

Always bound to happen at the moment.
Similar problems taking patient histories from one community system to another.

Once the DM+D has been sorted out this problem should be made easier to solve provided that computer suppliers do it quick enough. Use of the DM+D is or will be mandated in the NHS.

Feast your eyes on this website.

Welcome to the dm+d website — The NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices

[johnep]

Major problem with PPA was that their drug database was different to those used by Drs systems. The computer threw out any that were not the same.
johnep

[Web Ferret]

As already said DM+D will sort this out - eventually

As for data transfer your only option really is to see if it incorporates PIP codes as unique identifiers. This will sort out most products.

Then product a list of the mismatches and pay a pharmacist to trawl through them. Every data provider has their own drug list and unless it's mapped to the DM+D which the old databases won't be there's no alternative apart from the suggestion above.

[Pharmanaut]

As already said DM+D will sort this out - eventually

As for data transfer your only option really is to see if it incorporates PIP codes as unique identifiers. This will sort out most products.

Then product a list of the mismatches and pay a pharmacist to trawl through them. Every data provider has their own drug list and unless it's mapped to the DM+D which the old databases won't be there's no alternative apart from the suggestion above.

There are many problems with the DM+D.
There is no VMP for "Caplets" - as they are really 'Tablets'.
Tramadol 12 and 24 hour release preps are marked 'not recommended to be prescribed by VMP' instead of "not valid for prescription by VMP'.
This will mean that you have to watch out carefully to see if a 12 or 24 hour release is intended on generic prescriptions.
Codes are not fixed - they could be changed if the initial UK code is replaced by an international one, so systems have to handle current and previous code.

The DM+D does not have 'generic' or 'brand flag' at AMP.
A lot of EPSR1 'generic' prescriptions are actually AMP, as they are written as "Atenolol 100mg tablets (Teva). If you get one of these you are supposed to dispense Teva.

The packs and units of measure are designed to support prescribing, not dispensing, though moves are being made to get dispensing systems working with them by converting.

Finally, the directions could be correct, but not apppropriate.

Conclusion;
When EPSR2 is delivered BE JUST AS VIGILANT.
It is just a conduit to deliver the information.
The information can still be correct or require intervention.