NSW SafeScript platform May rollout
PRESCRIBERS and pharmacists from right across NSW will be invited to register for the state’s SafeScript real-time prescription monitoring platform from late next month, expanding the current phased approach which has seen it already introduced in some Primary Health Networks (PD 08 Nov 2021).
SafeScript NSW is already being used in the Hunter, New England and Central Coast, Nepean
Blue Mountains and Northern Sydney areas, with the NSW Health Department website now confirming that “those in other NSW areas will have access from late May 2022”.
The clinical tool, developed by Fred IT, provides pharmacists and prescribers with real-time information about a patient’s prescription history for certain high-risk medicines, with the aim of helping them make “safer clinical decisions at the point of care”.
Medicines monitored by the platform include opioids, benzodiazepines, other sleeping aids such as zolpidem and zopiclone, psychostimulants like dexamfetamine and methylphenidate, and all Schedule 8 medicines.
Prescribing and dispensing information is collected via the electronic prescription exchange services which are already connected to most prescribing and dispensing software platforms.
Similar to Victoria’s Real-Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) system, which was also developed by Fred IT, pharmacists who have registered for the system and are using integrated clinical software receive a pop-up notification on their desktop to warn them when a high-risk scenario is detected.
These situations could include records of multiple prescribers of monitored medicines for a patient over the previous 90 days, usage of high doses of opioids, and concurrent prescribing of potentially harmful substances.
SafeScript NSW is also accessible by health professionals not using integrated software by logging into the platform portal directly.
The system covers private and public scripts, but NSW Health hospitals and outpatient clinic information systems will not be integrated within the SafeScript NSW system.
Use of the platform is not mandatory, but all prescribers and pharmacists in the state will be encouraged to implement the system once it becomes available within their region - more at safescript.health.nsw.gov.au.