Volume 179 - Issue 1
Effect of computerised prescribing on use of antibiotics
Authors: David A Newby, Jayne L Fryer and David A Henry
Med J Aust 2003; 179 (1): 62-63. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05429.x
Published online: 7 July 2003
Published online: 7 July 2003
David A Newby,* Jayne L Fryer,† David A Henry‡
* Lecturer, † Statistical Analyst, ‡ Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Newcastle, NSW 2298 mddanATalinga.newcastle.edu.au
In reply: As Pyefinch notes, if the "once only" option in Medical Director (MD) is chosen during prescribing, the doctor must enter the quantity and number of repeats that he or she wishes to order. However, if the doctor chooses the "regular" medicine option (both options are offered during prescribing), then the maximum Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule quantities and repeats are inserted.
There are various reasons why doctors may be using the "regular" option rather than the "once only" option when prescribing antibiotics using MD. Some of these have been discussed on the General Practice Computing Group Listserv,1 and include factors such as confusion regarding the terms "regular" and "once only" and difficulties recalling patient medication histories if the "once only" option is used. Another explanation is that doctors commonly prescribe chronic medications, and therefore use of the "regular" option may become a habit. Whatever the cause, there is no obvious explanation for the differences observed, except for the use of prescribing software. Our recommendation that prescribing software be altered to avoid these shortcuts was made because it represents the most immediate way of resolving the problem.
References
- General Practice Computing Group Listserv. Available at: http://www.gpcg.org/listservs/index.html (accessed Mar 2003).