Australia inspired by world e-pharmacy ideas
e-pharmacy ideas grow around world
Australia is looking to keep up to speed with e-pharmacy schemes around the world, which are testing the concept all the time to link drug suppliers, doctors, pharmacies and patients together over the Internet.
In New Zealand, a working group has been set up to develop medicine terminology for e-pharmacy, inspired by Dr Stephen Chu at the University of Auckland.
He believes that e-prescriptions cut down significantly on errors to prescriptions exposed to patients when they order from local pharmacies.
In addition, he claims that errors are found when orders are processed between wholesale drug suppliers and pharmacies.
The same type of chemical formulas can also have different names and different packaging, which can confuse people.
Chu is looking to set up standards in ordering to run across the whole system to make sure that errors like these can be completely eradicated.
E-pharmacy is considered to be a welcome necessity, considering 47,000 New Zealanders visit GPs every day and the average senior citizen takes between 10 to 15 drugs.
In the U.S., Illinois is creating a website that allows residents to buy cheaper prescription drugs outside of America.
It will provide people with the opportunity to buy drugs from Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, although state regulators will tightly monitor sales.
Other states, such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and North Dakota, have all done the same to provide better access to safe and lower cost prescription drugs.
Australia already offers drugs on online, but lessons can be learnt from New Zealand about creating standards across the system and from the U.S. about offering cheaper and safer alternatives.
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