A new survey commissioned to mark the launch of an innovative electronic prescription notification service called eScript, reveals that 93% of Irish consumers believe that technology makes their lives easier and 87% of the adult population now own a smartphone. 74% of those surveyed claim that they find their GP’s handwriting difficult to read and 43% are worried about errors that can occur between their GP and the pharmacy when given a prescription. 79% think that the GP sending a prescription notification to the pharmacy electronically will reduce the possibility of these errors, with nearly half of all adults (48%) wanting to reduce their waiting time for prescriptions at their pharmacy.
The eScript pilot, launched nationally today, is a notification service that safely sends a secure notification of the prescription details directly from the GP’s computer to the patient’s chosen pharmacy. While it does not replace the traditional signed paper prescription, it means that the pharmacy can start preparing the prescription before the patient gets there. For patients, that allows for less waiting time while pharmacists are able to enjoy a quicker dispensing process and can be assured of accuracy as the chances of error are reduced.
Commenting on today’s milestone, Jennifer Hughes, Director of Marketing at Clanwilliam Group, said; “We are delighted to launch the eScript national pilot which will benefit Irish consumers, GPs and the pharmacy community. The intention of eScript is simply to demonstrate and evaluate how technology can facilitate the seamless flow of prescription information between GP and pharmacy systems in Ireland. How the service further develops will be determined by the ongoing feedback from our customers. Additionally, we will continue to explore other innovations in this space such as 2D barcoding and centralised “pull” models, similar to those in place with our customers in the UK. At Clanwilliam Group, we believe that the valuable insights gained by working together and investing in technology pilots help us to give our customers sustainable value and care.”
Bradley’s Pharmacy in Stillorgan is offering eScript to its patients as part of the eScript National Pilot.
“We’re delighted to offer eScript to our customers. It acts on feedback we’ve frequently heard from our patients which is that they appreciate ease and convenience when collecting prescription medications from the pharmacy. The text alerts give our patients added peace of mind and eScript helps our pharmacists provide our customers with a high standard of care. We look forward to reviewing the feedback from this innovative pilot,” said Brian Pagni, Managing Director, Bradley’s Pharmacy.
Other findings from the survey of 1,000 patients in Ireland highlighted that:
o 72% of consumers always or regularly use the same pharmacy
o 74% get prescriptions for themselves
o Nearly half of all adults (48%) would like to reduce their waiting time for medications to be dispensed in their pharmacy
o One third of those surveyed check their mobile phone at least every 15 minutes in a typical day
eScript has been created by the Clanwilliam Group, the leading healthcare, technology and services group which includes Socrates Healthcare and Helix Health businesses (which together have developed eScript). In addition to eScript, the Clanwilliam Group is collaborating with eHealth Ireland to bring eReferrals into general use throughout the hospital system. The e-script notification pilot is one of a number of innovations focussed on delivering a more joined up healthcare system in line with the ambitions of eHealth Ireland.
Richard Corbridge, CIO of HSE and CEO of eHealth Ireland, said:
“The addition of eScript to the Clanwilliam portfolio is a positive step forward to the digital enablement of Primary Health Care systems and indeed to the future of Digital Health care. eHealth Ireland are looking forward to the findings of this national pilot programme. The success of programmes like eReferrals reinforces the need for innovative solutions in Primary Care. We are excited to continue to support the digital empowerment of GP systems delivery.”
For more information on eScript visit www.escript.ie