Software makes prescriptions easier to manage.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeon’s new ‘under care’ guidance, which came into force on 1 September, has emphasised the need for more specific and detailed prescribing instructions and control of dispensing of prescription-only veterinary medicines (POM-Vs).

Part of the guidance, concerning the prescription of antiparasitic POM-Vs, has already been delayed until 12 January 2024, following feedback from a number of veterinary practices.

AT Veterinary Systems, a veterinary-owned company, have been providing IT solutions to the sector for more than 30 years. The company says that Spectrum, its flagship practice management software, provides veterinary surgeons with the additional tools they need to stay on top of prescriptions.

One of the major things changing is the need for a physical examination before issuing a prescription for certain categories of medicine including antiparasitics.

Using the Spectrum Clinical module, veterinary surgeons can set up prompts, which can be used to remind the user that the patient is due a physical examination or clinical assessment. It’s only a small part of the package, but when it comes to managing prescriptions, it’s an important tool.

Another change to the guidance concerns issuing repeat prescriptions. Veterinary surgeons will have to include the full details of the prescription on their management system, including: name of product/active ingredient, strength, dose rate, dose frequency, form and any particular warnings.

Repeat prescriptions can be set up, managed, and withdrawn through the Spectrum Clinical module of the software. The feature allows veterinary surgeons to set an end date or quantity limit when issuing a prescription.

To help the team keep up to date with the medications which each patient requires, a list of current, expired, and withdrawn repeat prescriptions is easily accessible via the patient record.

Jenny Harley CMS RVN, training and development manager at AT Veterinary Systems, said: “As a company run by veterinary professionals, we know just how important it is for vets to be able to record details of prescriptions quickly and accurately.

“Using Spectrum, you can easily set up everything whilst invoicing a product to a patient, with no need to remember to ‘write-it-up' later. Prescribing (invoicing) Meloxicam, for example, you will get the option to Add, or Edit, a Repeat for this item. All you have to do is indicate that it has been pre-authorised for a number of repeats or for a specific timeframe.

“With the new ‘under care’ guidance changing the rules around prescriptions, Spectrum can help make the prescription process much easier for vets.”

Image (C) Shutterstock/AT Veterinary Systems