The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's (PSA) ACT Branch welcomes today's launch of the Territory's new Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) system, Canberra Script.
To replace DAPIS Online Remote Access (DORA), the ACT's previous RTPM system, Canberra Script includes several enhancements, such as, a simplified registration process and prompts and notifications that support practitioners in the safe prescribing and dispensing of high-risk medicines.
Canberra Script forms part of the new RTPM system being implemented across Australia.
PSA ACT Branch President, Olivia Collenette, said that Canberra Script will better protect the ACT community by supporting the safe and effective use of monitored medicines.
"Today, the ACT has launched its new RTPM system which is designed to minimise harm associated with monitored medicines, and PSA is pleased to see that the ACT Government has got this over the line.
"The Territory joins the majority of other Australian jurisdictions in forming the National Real Time Prescription Monitoring system, which continues to be progressively rolled out.
"It is quite unnerving to know, that over the past decade in Australia, drug-induced deaths were more likely to be a result of prescription medicines rather than illicit substances, and this is precisely why innovative harm minimisation systems like Canberra Script are needed.
"This patient-centric technology enables both prescribers and pharmacists to have informed discussions with their patients in a non-confronting way, providing them with greater oversight of what other monitored medicines the individual may be taking.
"Canberra Script will help shape conversations around the safe and effective use of these medicines, making it easier for clinicians to identify potentially harmful interactions and inappropriate dosages, helping them to make more informed, safer decisions.
"It is important to recognise that this system is not intended to disadvantage those patients where there is a clinical need for a particular medicine, it simply provides an additional safety net for prescribers, dispensers and most importantly, their patients.
"I strongly encourage all eligible health practitioners to register and utilise Canberra Script as a clinical support tool for managing Canberra patients on monitored medicines," Ms Collenette said.
ACT Health has commissioned PSA to help develop the training for both prescribers and pharmacists in using the system, which will be available shortly after its launch. PSA is here to support Canberra pharmacists in any way possible.
