IT support strengthen pharmacist clinics

Ms Wung explains IT and clerical support, which are just as important as the support from physicians and laboratories. She then explains how both services are managed by the IT department at TVGH.

Key concepts

Support from the IT department is another crucial factor of setting up pharmacist clinics. They assist in data storage, communication between departments, electronic medical records, outcome, and quality analysis. They also manage billing and reimbursement, however, this does not apply to Taiwan due to the presence of national insurance.

IT department manages the electronic systems that compile and store medical records. Allowing healthcare professionals to access the same patient information and communicate efficiently.

However, the current medication documentation system needs more work. The system does not offer much support in the documentation. When physicians write medical records, they need to type everything in free text. Due to time constraints, these medical records end up very rough and hard to analyze.

Thus, the anticoagulation clinic uses its own system, which automatically generates standardized pharmacy SOAP notes. This system will also calculate the stroke and bleeding risks automatically.

Referrals and appoints are managed by the IT department. Appointments can also be arranged via the TVGH website. Patients would receive medication bags with the clinic’s phoneline printed, this allows them to enquire clinical pharmacists directly.

Share and learn:

• How does technology support pharmacist clinics in your hospital/country?