The Federal Government has been called upon to cross-check Medicare and pharmaceutical records of patients, in an attempt to reduce the incidences of unnecessary illness and death often occurring as a result of medication use.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care outline in their annual report that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare are "two of the richest health information stores in the world" and an examination of these records will assist in more rapid identification of harmful new drugs and lethal side effects, whilst assessing the appropriate use of medications in practice.
The report, which is titled, "Windows into Safety and Quality in Health Care 2008", also cites earlier commission research which found each year an estimated 1.5 million Australians suffered an adverse event from medicines, resulting in 400,000 visits to doctors and 140,000 hospital admissions. The estimated annual cost six years ago was $380 million.
It is likely this will also become more pronounced with an ageing population as a third of admitted patients over 75 had experienced a medication related adverse event.
With no systematic national approach in place to identify, document and advise on potential drug reactions and appropriate use of medications, the implementation of a national scheme has the potential to revolutionise the healthcare industry, reducing costs to healthcare facilities and unnecessary risks to patients.