Patients, doctors and pharmacists will for the first time be able to access a more complete picture of an individual’s medicines history under reforms announced by the Albanese Government to improve medication safety and standards of care.
The changes follow advocacy by Alison Collins, whose 24-year-old daughter Erin died last year from an overdose after being prescribed medications through multiple digital health platforms.
As an initial measure to strengthen safety in digital medicines and telehealth, the government will require that all medicines-related information from online prescribers be made available to consumers and their healthcare providers through My Health Record.
The information will include medicines prescribed and dispensed through online platforms, as well as the clinical context for prescribing, to help prevent medication errors, adverse drug reactions and inappropriate use.
The planned reforms also include the design and development of a National Medicines Record, using existing digital health systems such as electronic prescribing, the Active Script List and My Health Record. The government says this will support prescribers and pharmacists with accurate and up-to-date information about their patients’ medicines.
The 1800Medicare app will also continue to be enhanced as part of efforts to improve medication management.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the measures were a foundation for broader reform.
“These reforms are the first step toward delivering a National Medicines Record for all Australians, ensuring that patients and their care teams can have accurate and up-to-date medicine information,” Butler said.
The Minister acknowledged the advocacy of Alison Collins following her daughter’s death.
“Ms Collins bravery and advocacy while enduring the tragic loss of her daughter Erin will have a profound impact on the safety of online prescribing practices in Australia,” he added.
“Ensuring this information is accessible to a patient’s usual GP and other healthcare providers will support safer clinical decision-making, reduce the risk of medicine-related harm and strengthen trust across the healthcare system.”
Collins said the changes would help prevent similar tragedies.
“These new reforms give our family hope and peace of mind,” she said.
“Erin’s story is creating change, so no other family has to go through what we did.
A consultation period is now underway to enable medicines information from all online prescribers to be included by default. The first phase of that work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.