PAPER prescriptions are set to be a thing of the past in Fife hospitals after an electronic system was given the go-ahead.

The NHS Fife Board approved the full business case for the new system at its meeting last Wednesday.

Health chiefs say the change will improve patient safety by transforming the way medicines are prescribed and administered in Fife’s hospitals.

Most medicines used in hospitals are still prescribed and administered using a paper-based chart system, and with the increasing range and complexities of medicines available the safe and effective prescribing and administration of medicines is increasingly challenging.

The Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration System (HEPMA) is designed to replace existing paper-based systems and make prescribing and administration processes more efficient, freeing up clinical staff to carry out face-to-face care.

NHS Fife Medical Director, Dr Chris McKenna, said the project was a "really important" one.

"We are one of the last health boards in Scotland to adapt an electronic prescription system in our hospitals and what this does is it takes us to a much safer place in terms of prescribing for patients," he said.

"We have got technologically, quite advanced in Fife over the years. This is the final thing that brings us to the forefront. It starts to bring all the systems together.

“The HEPMA system will enable greater control over what medicines are prescribed, how they are prescribed and how they are administered. The system will also enable the early identification of high-risk patients, allowing clinical staff to act much earlier in order to prevent patient from deteriorating.

“Crucially, as more and more patients are treated with complex therapies, the system will reduce the opportunity for human error and ultimately improve patient safety as a result."

Director of Pharmacy and Medicines Scott Garden told board members he was "incredibly excited" about the development.

I believe it is transformational in terms of safety of medicines and quality of care we will be able to provide," he said. "We have recognised the importance of training and ongoing training for our staff so I believe the full business case reflects the investment to get implementation right over the three years and look forward to ongoing development and maximising the use of the system."

The changes – which will cost £2.5m over three years – will mean prescribing decisions for individual patients will be improved by giving prescribers access to a complete medication prescribing and administration record containing up-to-date historical and current information.

The software will also improve patient safety by producing real-time alerts to inform prescribers of previous drug allergies or adverse drug reactions reported for the patient.

Pending formal approval from Scottish Government, the HEPMA system's implementation will take around 36 months to complete across all hospitals in the Kingdom.