The HSE has been working with General Practitioners over many years to encourage better quality prescribing of drugs in Ireland. In 2012, the HSE’s Medicines Management Programme (MMP) was established to further this agenda and to communicate with prescribers regarding best practice. Over the coming weeks the MMP plans to attend a number of regional GP meetings to convey programme preferred prescribing in key areas.
A further initiative underway to assist with GP prescribing is the launch of the HSE’s Prescribing Guidance System (PGS). This system supports prescribers with integrated 'point of prescribing' information making it easier for GPs to make decisions in line with MMP prescribing guidance. In turn, the system also gives assurance regarding the effectiveness of prescribing guidance interventions.
The HSE is writing to GP system vendors alerting them to this new integration opportunity. Most GPs are already integrated with the HSE for the purpose of medical card eligibility confirmation. This system is one of the most widely used messaging systems operating in Ireland with over 300,000 messages consumed nationally each day across primary care software systems.
GPs will be aware that their integrated system will highlight when an individual’s medical card eligibility period has expired, i.e. messaging is on an exceptional basis only. The same model has been adopted for the Prescribing Guidance System meaning that GPs prescribing in line with MMP prescribing guidance will not be seeing messages at all.
It is anticipated that this prescribing guidance system will be a critical assistance to the GP community and significantly important to the wider health system.
