Improving patient safety for the province of Prince Edward Island
The Issue:
The Province of Prince Edward Island (PEI) viewed establishing an electronic health record as a critical step in improving patient safety. In 2004, the government prioritized the creation of a centralized Drug Information System for this purpose.
The Challenge:
In conjunction with the province, DeltaWare Systems (now a division of Maximus Canada) began a process of developing and implementing a next-generation Drug Information System (DIS) as part of its Medigent® Suite.
The Solution:
The Medigent® DIS manages the medication portion of a patient’s health record. The system electronically links all health care sites with a database that maintains patient medication records for all residents. This database is accessible at:
- pharmacies
- hospital wards
- long-term care facilities
- emergency rooms
- medical offices
The DIS system provides complete, up-to-date and accurate medication profiles for improved health planning, evaluation and research. It also includes a comprehensive Drug Utilization Review (DUR) and flags potential interactions with a patients medication profile.
The Outcome:
Since implementation, PEI residents benefit from greater patient safety, convenience and efficiency when they get a prescription filled. Pharmacists can more easily report adverse drug reactions to Health Canada.
The Medigent® DIS system is now in use in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Yukon as well as in PEI.