|
(5
March, 2001)
The government intends to mend
Article 15 of the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997 (POM
Order) to allow full electronic transmission pilot trials to go ahead
later this year.
The National Plan pledges that
electronic prescriptions will be introduced by 2004 with the GP sending
the script electronically to the pharmacy of the patient's choice.
Dispensing doctors will be
intrigued to learn that the benefits (which dispensing practice has
always provided) include fewer trips to the GP to collect repeats and an
end to illegible scripts for the chemist. Pilots will
involve 150 GPs and 150 chemists.
The amendment is needed because the
law presently demands the doctors signature to be attached in ink and by
hand.
Digital signature
A digital signature is a unique data string that is appended to an
electronic data item or message created by the originator. This
data string is created through a combination of application and public
key cryptography techniques. They are not electronic replicas of
handwritten signatures and are not intended to be read by the human eye
only by the recipient's computer. Cryptography is currently
the only way of giving participants in electronic transactions a level
of confidence similar to paper-based practice. Pilots are
needed to test this.
The draft of the new regulation briefly says that where a
prescription is issued under the NHS Act by a designated doctor for
dispensing by a designated pharmacist the following conditions may be
applied:
- the script must be encrypted as
directed by the Secretary of State
- the doctor must issue electronic
identification to link the patient to the script
- the doctor electronically sends
the script to the designated chemist
- the doctor sends the script to a
data storage facility for downloading by any designated chemist or
- creates a document containing a
record of the electronic prescription in a non-legible form,
according to the SoS's directions, hands the document to an
individual for onward transmission to a designated chemist; and
- the designated doctor must have
made available to all designated chemists electronic information
which will identify him.
Comments
Dispensing doctors may wish to comment on these new proposals
and how they may affect their practice. Please send
comments, electronically, through Feedback to Country Doctor. The
CDA will then relay them to the Department of Health.
All comments must be here, at
CountryDoctor, by 12 March, 2001.
|
