Written question asked by Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 10 November 1997, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 November 1997. It was answered by Alan Milburn (Labour) on Monday, 17 November 1997 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to improve the quality of prescribing through the greater use of information technology, with specific reference to ensuring the greater transfer of information regarding older patients between primary and secondary care.

Answer: Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the quality of prescribing through the greater use of information technology, with specific reference to ensuring the greater transfer of information regarding older patients between primary and secondary care. [15739] Mr. Milburn: Much has gone into improving the quality of prescribing through information technology including piloting the Prescribing Rationally with Decision support in General Practice Study-- PRODIGY--, a computer-aided prescribing decision support system for general practitioners. The aim of this system is to improve the quality of GP prescribing decisions using evidence-based recommendations and faster dissemination of information about new drugs, safety alerts and other research evidence which could affect prescribing choice. PRODIGY is being trialed in some 180 general practices and is in its second phase. In addition, there has been significant progress towards the development of an NHS network which would allow National Health Service information about patients to pass between primary and secondary care. There has also been development in standards for GP systems, which include holding a database of prescribable items incorporating knowledge about drug interactions and contra-indications and cross-checks for patient sensitivities.

Secondary information