MedAdvisor codeine PEP
January 25, 2016
RECENTLY listed health software
firm MedAdvisor has formally
launched a new Patient Education
Program (PEP) which aims to help
address the risk of addiction and
serious side effects for those using
S3 codeine analgesics.
Created in partnership with
Painaustralia, the PEP works
to improve the quality use of
medicines by delivering educational
messages directly to patients via
smartphone, tablet or web browser.
“Whilst IT tools which facilitate
real-time prescription monitoring
can greatly assist prescribers
and pharmacists in controlling
the supply of medications, we
believe it is important to develop
‘patient focused’ solutions,” said
MedAdvisor ceo Robert Read.
“Addiction cycles often begin
with unintended misuse of
codeine-based products...the tool
MedAdvisor is launching today
works to support and educate
patients at the time they are using
these medications”.
The move follows the massive
controversy sparked late last
year when the Therapeutic
Goods Administration proposed
rescheduling medications
containing codeine to prescription only,
with widespread opposition
from most pharmacy and patient
groups.
The Pharmacy Guild undertook
to rapidly develop a real-time
monitoring system to stop
multiple codeine purchases, but
interestingly this is also possible
using the new MedAdvisor system.
Read said the software “also
captures real-time dispense data
and can, where appropriate and
following privacy legislation,
share visibility of dispenses across
pharmacies.
“MedAdvisor can offer an
effective and immediate solution
for real-time prescription
monitoring,” he said.
In order to receive the
education information patients
will be required to register for
MedAdvisor’s free app.
Once their online profile is
updated with the recording of
codeine-based sales, the app will
provide a series of messages to the
patient which reinforce information
provided by the pharmacist about
the safe and effective use of
codeine analgesics.
Read said the program could in
future be expanded to include any
S4 and S8 medication subject to
abuse, such as benzodiazepines and
opiates.
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