Benefits of electronic prescribing
- Supports delivery of telehealth services to ensure continuity of patient care.
- Maintains patient privacy and integrity of personal information through token encryptions and data-protection measures.
- Reduces the risks associated with lost paper prescriptions.
- Reduces administrative burden for healthcare providers.
Patients can receive their electronic prescriptions as a token by SMS or email, or have it added to an Active Script List.
While electronic prescriptions (e-scripts) via SMS, email, or an Active Script List (ASL) are now the standard, the patient can still ask the prescriber for a paper prescription (which includes a barcode).
Patients can choose to have their next repeat dispensed at a different pharmacy by presenting the new token at any pharmacy when more medicine is needed.
Key Information
- Paper prescriptions remain available. Patients can choose an escript or paper script, but should not receive both for the same prescription.
- Schedule 8 (S8) medicines can be prescribed and dispensed through an electronic prescription.
- Before providing and escript, confirm that the patient can receive and use the token or has access to an Active Script List.
- Check the patient’s mobile number or email address and confirm that the token has been received before the consultation ends.
- The prescription itself is stored and transferred securely and cannot be altered after it has been issued. If a correction is required, the original prescription should be cancelled and a new prescription issued.
- Maintain a paper-prescribing and business-continuity process for internet, power, software or mobile-network outages.
Safeguards
Safeguards are in place to prevent patients from using their token at multiple pharmacies.
The token itself is not the legal prescription. It is the evidence of a prescription.
Once a pharmacy scans the token and dispenses the medicine, it becomes invalid and cannot be reused. The National Prescription Delivery Service will lock a patient’s prescription as soon as it is accessed, so no other pharmacy can dispense it at the same time.
How electronic prescriptions are accessed
The Token Model
A unique token, usually containing a QR barcode, is sent by SMS or email. A separate token is issued for each medicine prescribed.
The patient presents or securely forwards the token to their pharmacy. The pharmacy scans the token to retrieve the legal electronic prescription from the National Prescription Delivery Service.
When a prescription with repeats is dispensed, the pharmacy issues a new token for the next repeat. The original token cannot be reused.
The token itself is not the legal prescription; it is the secure key used to access it.
Active Script List
An Active Script List (ASL) is a secure digital list of a patient’s active electronic prescriptions and eligible barcoded paper prescriptions. It reduces the need to store and manage multiple individual tokens and can be particularly useful for patients taking several medicines.
If using a barcoded paper prescription it must still be presented at the pharmacy, before it can be dispensed.
ASL supports patient choice of preferred pharmacy
Having an ASL means the patient or their carer can walk into any pharmacy, give consent for them to access their ASL, and have that pharmacy dispense their medicines.
Individuals are now able to view and manage their Active Script List, using mobile applications like the 1800MEDICARE app.
Education and training
The Australian Digital Health Agency provides free electronic prescribing education through its online learning portal.
Current resources include:
