Pharmacy students at John Moores to use Better’s e-prescribing solution for patient safety

Liverpool John Moores University will use Better’s OPENeP electronic prescribing and medicines administration solution to teach its pharmacy students about modern prescribing practices.

The university and the company have signed a partnership to enable pharmacy students to experience OPENeP and learn about prescribing, dispensing, and administering medicines electronically.

OPENeP is an electronic prescribing and medication management system designed for e-prescribing in the hospital setting.

Pharmacy lecturers at the university will also able to build a demonstration version of OPENeP into the modules they teach.

Kate Shemilt, senior lecturer in Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, said: “…Where EPMA systems are being implemented by trusts, it is important for our students to be familiar with them.

“There is also a patient safety issue, because while there is evidence that EPMA improves patient safety, it can also raise new issues.

“We want our students to be aware of those issues, which will be common to all e-prescribing systems. However, the Better system was designed for clinicians by clinicians and it shows; it is very intuitive and we are delighted that our students will have the chance to use it.”

The new system will be used by final year pharmacy students and post-graduates.

Shemilt added this should help NHS trusts as well as students. “It is standard for trusts to include training in the systems that they use in their induction packages, but there is a lot for new starters to take-in,” she pointed out.

OPENeP knowledge transfer manager Nina Pirc said the partnership was a good example of Better’s commitment to continuously improving its products and information about them. “We have been working hard over the past few years to understand users and to help them learn about OPENeP in the simplest way possible,” she said.

Nursing students at the university will also use the new system in modules on how to administer medicines.