The draft is the culmination of 12 months of development and incorporates extensive feedback from clinicians, consumers and technology experts around the country. It will now progress to Standards Australia, through IT 14, for ongoing consultation and refinement with the goal of updating existing Australian standards and developing new Technical Specifications by the end of 2010.

 

Adverse drug events place a substantial burden on the healthcare system and pose a significant risk to patient safety. Many of these incidents are caused by inaccurate information sharing resulting in extra hospital admissions and treatment interventions that could be prevented.

 

The ETP package, which comprises a suite of 12 documents, covers the foundations for a national electronic prescription system. It details the minimum specifications required to support the interoperable transfer of prescriptions in primary care settings within Australia.  Future work will extend these specifications to encompass other care settings.

Feedback on this release is requested before 20 August 2010 and can be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it as can any questions relating to this package. Priority areas for feedback include errors of omission or commission, and issues that would adversely impact consumer choice and the timely provision of prescription and/or dispensed medication information.

The documents are located at http://www.nehta.gov.au/e-communications-in-practice/emedication-management

 

For more information contact Alison Sweeney, Media Coordinator 02 8298 2669 or 0414 187 350 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it