Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman

Minister of Health
3 September 2015 Media Statement

Safer ePharmacy system for Midland’s patients

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says a new hospital ePharmacy system in the Midland region is improving patient safety and reducing medicines waste.

“Before the launch of the ePharmacy system the five Midland region DHBs each had their own hospital pharmacy management system with different functions and costs,” says Dr Coleman.

“With the new regional ePharmacy system each Midland region DHB hospital pharmacy can now see what medications hospital patients have been given and any allergies they have.

“The Midland DHBs are now using the same terminology for medicines which will further improve patient safety by reducing the risk of medication error.

“They also know what medications are available which has the potential to reduce drug wastage as they can use drugs which are approaching the end of their shelf-life from the region’s DHBs. It also enables cost-effective bulk purchasing.

“The roll out of the ePharmacy system shows what can be achieved with strong regional leadership and close engagement with clinicians and IT vendors.”

The ePharmacy system has been successfully rolled out across all five Midland DHBs - Lakes, Taranaki, Tairawhiti, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

The $6.5 million ePharmacy system is the first shared regional hospital pharmacy software implemented in New Zealand.

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