Prescriptions for medicines to be issued electronically in future
Published: Friday, Dec 8th 2023, 12:20
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Prescriptions for medicines are to be issued electronically in future. This should prevent misunderstandings and errors when prescribing and taking medicines. Patients are also to receive a medication plan.
The Federal Council intends to amend the Therapeutic Products Act accordingly, as it announced on Friday. The measures submitted for consultation are intended to increase medication safety. With digitally created and redeemed prescriptions, prescriptions could be clearly read and digitally transmitted.
Avoid mistakes
This helps to avoid errors and creates more safety for patients. The e-prescription also helps to reduce counterfeiting and the misuse of multiple prescriptions.
In order to create an electronic prescription, the exchange format of the electronic patient file must be used. According to the Federal Council, this ensures that the various IT systems used by healthcare professionals can read and reproduce information correctly. This exchange format is to be enshrined in law at ordinance level in summer 2024.
A medication plan should also provide more safety for patients. It contains a list of the medicines to be taken and information on their use. The aim is to give patients a better overview of their medication.
A medication plan also improves the exchange of information between all professionals involved in treatment. Anyone who prescribes, dispenses or uses medicines should be obliged to create the medication plan electronically and update it on an ongoing basis, also using the exchange format.
Rules for new drugs
According to the Federal Council's plans, all those with basic health insurance should receive the electronic patient file free of charge in future. Providers of healthcare services will have to keep electronic dossiers.
For children, drug doses generally have to be calculated individually, for example according to age, weight and height. In future, electronic systems for clinical decision support are to become mandatory, particularly when calculating drug dosages.
Clear regulation of advanced therapy medicinal products should ensure that the population has rapid access to innovative forms of treatment. Novel veterinary medicinal products should also be included if they are authorized in Switzerland.
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