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Benefits of the service

  • Last modified date:
    8 February 2007

Outlines the benefits of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) which is being developed and implemented by the Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions (ETP) programme and which will allow a patient's prescription to be sent electronically from their GP to a pharmacy.

With 1.3 million prescriptions issued each day on average, and this number rising by around 5% per year, the advantages of changing from a paper-based system to a faster, more efficient and more consistently accurate electronic system are clear.

EPS will bring gains in both efficiency and safety for both patients and health professionals. Once fully operational, EPS will:

* Reduce unclear or illegible prescriptions which may lead to the wrong items being dispensed, thereby increasing patient safety.

* Allow the instant cancellation of prescriptions thought no longer clinically appropriate.

* Prevent the loss of prescription forms.

* Reduce the numbers of fraudulent prescriptions.

* Allow preparation of prescriptions in advance of their collection, saving patient time at the dispensary, and making it easier for pharmacists to manage workflow and stock control.

* Relieve patients or their representatives of the need to collect prescriptions from the prescriber.

* Eliminate the need for pharmacists to re-enter prescription information, thereby saving time and increasing dispensing accuracy.

* Allow faster and more accurate processing of prescriptions by the BSA (Business Services Authority)

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