Disenchantment with multimillion-dollar Drug Information System

CBC News – Pharmacists in Prince Edward Island are frustrated with continuing glitches in a computerized drug information system that has been in place for two years.

It was set up as part of a government plan to move to a complete system of electronic health records. But some pharmacists say the technology isn’t what they hoped it would be.

Pharmacists are required by law to use the drug information system (DIS), sharing data on what drugs patients are using, what allergies they have, and their medical history.

Pharmacists say it’s great information to have, but the system crashes at least once a month.

“It could be down for a couple of seconds, it could be down for a couple of hours, it could be down for several hours,” said pharmacist Rob MacLellan.

He said this causes unnecessary waits, and more importantly could cause gaps in patient information.

“We’re just worried it might compromise someone’s health at one stage or another,” he said.

Bitter pill

A recent report by the provincial auditor general, Colin Younker, said the move of P.E.I.’s health records from paper to computers was poorly planned. By March 2009, the government had spent more than $15 million on the system.

Pharmacies had to buy their own equipment and software, and stores had to bring in more staff, according to the Prince Edward Island Pharmacists Association. The association said it’s been a frustrating two years.

“Right now we have no connection to the hospital, we have no connection to physicians’ offices, lab results, that type of thing,” said Erin MacKenzie, a spokeswoman for the association.

She said the emergency room at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown isn’t even connected to the drug information system.

“I think we still have a ways to go with the DIS,” MacKenzie said. “We’re not utilizing it to its full potential at all at this point.”