"Okay, I'll give you some medicine,"
said the doctor who examined me at the hospital.
It's the paper you take to the pharmacy.
From January 26th, medical institutions and pharmacies nationwide will start using electronic prescriptions, which are digitalized versions of this paper.
How does it work?
Are there any benefits?
Summarized in a Q&A format.
(Yamagata Bureau Anna Wada Tomoyo Koizumi Social Affairs Department)
Q. What is an "electronic prescription" in the first place?
A.To
receive medicine prescribed at a medical institution, first receive a "prescription" at the counter.
On this paper, the type of medicine prescribed by the doctor, the amount to be taken, the method of administration, etc. are written, and the pharmacist who received it at the pharmacy confirms the contents and dispenses it.
“Electronic prescriptions” is a mechanism that digitizes prescriptions instead of issuing them on paper, and exchanges information on prescribed drugs online. You will be able to interact.
Q. Why are you introducing it now?
What are the patient benefits?
A.
One of our major goals is to advance the “digitalization of medical care,” which has not progressed so far.
Until now, medical institutions and pharmacies have individually managed information on each patient, but with the introduction of an electronic prescription system, it will be possible to centrally manage information in a database.
Today, there is a "medicine notebook" that allows you to retroactively manage information about the medicines prescribed to you.
However, I think there are more than a few people who have had the experience of not having it yet, or having had it but forgetting it when they went to the pharmacy.
If electronic prescriptions become available, patients will be able to check information on the drugs they have been prescribed for the past three years online if they wish.
(* Use “Mynaportal” that utilizes My Number Card).
In addition, if you enter the exchange number of the electronic prescription in the "Electronic Medication Notebook App" for smartphones and send it to the pharmacy in advance, you can expect to shorten the waiting time.
On the other hand, if the patient consents, medical institutions and pharmacies will also be able to obtain accurate information on the drugs that have been prescribed to the patient in the database.
This will help avoid duplicate prescriptions and drug combinations that do not mix well.
In the past, especially for elderly people who go to multiple medical institutions, the same medicine was prescribed by different medical institutions, and there were cases where the same medicine was taken more than once. It is hoped that by using a database instead of memory, it will be possible to reliably prevent such cases and lead to appropriate medication administration.
Q. How can I receive medicine with an "electronic prescription"?
A.At
medical institutions that have started using electronic prescriptions, when you present your health insurance card or My Number card at the reception desk, you will be able to choose between an "electronic prescription" or a "paper prescription."
If you choose an electronic prescription, you will receive a copy of your prescription instead of a paper prescription at the counter after your examination.
If you take the copy to the pharmacy counter, you can receive the medicine prescribed based on the electronic information.
Q. When and where does it start?
A.
From January 26th.
The system will begin operation at 154 hospitals and pharmacies in 30 prefectures nationwide.
In addition, by January 15, a total of 30,170 hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies nationwide have completed procedures to introduce the system, and operations are scheduled to begin as soon as preparations are complete.
Q. Are there any issues with electronic prescriptions?
A.
One of the challenges is the spread of the system on the medical institution side and its establishment among users.
In order to use electronic prescriptions, it is necessary for medical institutions to introduce a system that utilizes the use of insurance cards such as My Number cards.
However, only 45% of the target medical institutions and pharmacies have introduced it (as of January 15).
"Electronic prescription" has been operated as a model project since October last year in four areas such as Yamagata and Fukushima.
Of these, in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture, a total of 23 medical institutions and pharmacies were supposed to participate, but as of January 26, only five facilities have actually started operation. .
The problem is the shortage of engineers.
In order to issue electronic prescriptions, it is necessary to modify the system, but according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, even if companies are asked to dispatch engineers, it will be necessary to add support for systems that use insurance cards using My Number cards, which have already been introduced. It means that there are cases where it is not possible to make repairs.
Some medical institutions participating in this model project and aiming to introduce it have voiced their concerns.
(Director Akira Sato, Sato Internal Medicine Clinic)
"I came to the starting line enthusiastically to make the model business a success, but it's been a long time since I've been in a situation where I can't get started. If it is true, there should be some issues and views that can be identified by doing a model business, but I am worried that I can't do that."
Such voices are being raised nationwide, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is considering working with companies.
Q. What are the patient's issues?
A.
Another issue is how to increase utilization after system launch.
Nihonkai General Hospital, which started operating the system as a model project in the same city of Sakata, saw only a few users per day for about two weeks from the start of use.
Hospitals believe that this is because patients are not aware of the existence of electronic prescriptions.
For this reason, hospitals began actively informing patients, handing out pamphlets at outpatient counters to introduce them, and confirming whether pharmacies used by patients could handle them.
It is said that the number of users has increased to about 50 people per day, partly because doctors promoted it to patients at the time of examination and promoted awareness throughout the hospital.
The director of Nihonkai General Hospital, which plays a central role in Sakata City's model project, said:
(Director Takao Shimanuki, Nihonkai General Hospital)
“There may be many patients who do not know or think that it is not related to them. It has great safety benefits, so I would like to work to spread it.”
Q. What did the experts point out about the benefits and issues?
A.Ryuichi
Yamamoto, President of the Medical Information System Development Center, which conducts research and development on medical information, says as follows.
“If the use of electronic prescriptions advances, in the future there will be no need to write down prescriptions, and patients will receive prescriptions at pharmacies simply by bringing their My Number card, or they can request prescriptions online and receive medication instructions. You will be able to receive your medication at home."
"On top of that, patients receive their own medical information, use the information as needed, and have great benefits such as being able to use it for their own health management. There is a problem of a shortage of IT engineers. However, I think that it will be resolved once full-scale introduction proceeds.We are currently in an inconvenient transitional period, so it is important to shorten this period as much as possible."
"The biggest problem is that it is difficult to see what the real benefits are for patients. It is easiest for patients to understand the explanations given by the medical staff in front of them, but it is also meaningful for the medical staff." The government has to present the direction it will take, including its future vision, and explain it to medical professionals.”