So, you are sitting in the doctors waiting room ( probably for at least 30-40 minutes past your appointment time), looking for something to occupy your mind with.

Your eyes fall on the notice pinned to the doctor’s door that informs you about the changes they have made to the electronic prescription – good idea! you think, they seem to be getting to grips with automation here… but what the “improvement” notice doesn’t tell you are the problems this change will give you when you go to the chemist to get your monthly prescription dispensed.

Like lots of OAP’s I take a cocktail of pills each day, some of these I have been on for years, and this gives me no problems at the chemist, they are all dispensed on the same day…

Recently, the doctor changed some of my tablets, and introduced another tablet. Unfortunately, the system does not harmonise the prescription dates with the medication already on my “receta”……

SO, now I have to go to the chemist 2 or 3 times in one month to be able to fulfil one month’ supply of tablets!! This is because in the new part of the prescription one packet of pills there are 28, and in the other there is 30, so they don’t appear on the pharmacist’s screen at the same time – you can only go when you get down to 10 tablets, and the system says they are ready for dispensing. The pharmacist thinks its crazy!!!

Now don’t get me wrong…this is all to stop people hoarding medication, and that has to be applauded , but I think there a couple of gliches to be ironed out here!!!!