Comment
Government plans new medicines record system
COTA Australia is working to ensure that the Federal Government’s new medicines plan for keeping track of all the medications being taken will help older Australians, and will not threaten their privacy, says Denys Correll, COTA’s national executive director.
The new scheme, to be known as the Better Medication Management System, or BMMS, is in draft legislative form now. It will cover all medicines, whether prescription, over the counter or complementary medicines, and wherever prescribed – at home, in hospital or in residential aged care.
COTA Australia has prepared a detailed submission aimed at ensuring the bill protects the rights of older persons whilst ensuring they have all the information they need about their current medicines when needed.
COTA supports the reasons for the BMMS, which is to improve levels of access to medication information for participating doctors and participating suppliers through the establishment and maintenance of an electronic record that will contain the medication histories of participating consumers. It is intended that improving levels of access to medication information will assist in reducing adverse drug reactions, outcomes/events, interactions and hospitalisations.
It is a voluntary scheme for consumers, medical practitioners and pharmacists. Consumers will register through participating doctors and suppliers. A consumer’s BMMS record will contain information relating to the consumer’s medication. The information will include identifying information such as name, gender, address, date of birth and Medicare number, and a history of all occasions of interaction with the consumer’s BMMS record by participating doctors, suppliers and the BMMS Board.
Older people are higher users of medicines than other population groups due to higher rates of chronic illness. They are at greater risk of adverse drug reactions as they are more likely to be taking multiple medicines. Changes in physiology and social and physical circumstances also contribute to the risk of adverse drug reactions. In addition, older people are more likely to experience poor vision, hearing and memory loss and have altered metabolic rates, which can also affect drug usage and impact.
COTA supports many aspects of the BMMS, especially draft plans for electronic record keeping, proposed privacy protection to individual medical records, how informed consent will be managed. It believes the scheme has great potential for regular medication reviews and management.
However, COTA believes that the draft Bill must ensure information about rights and responsibilities is easy to read and understand and that the processes for amending or correcting information are simple. Individual should have easy and free access to their records, via hard copy.
COTA calls on the Government to support it and other consumer organisations to help educate members of the public about the advantages of participating, and of the options of abstaining or withdrawing from the BMMS at any time.
COTA believes hospital participation in the BMMS is a priority. In some regional areas older people obtain all of their medication from the local hospital. BBMS should also extend quickly into residential aged care, to ensure the quality use of medicines and best practice for all older Australians, whatever their circumstance.
