Scottish Executive wants better use made of CHI data
Better use needs to be made of community health index (CHI) numbers, the Scottish Executive has advised.
In an NHS circular published this week, it calls upon community pharmacists,
GPs and health boards to improve the quality of the prescribing database
that comes from prescriptions bearing CHI numbers. “The development
and roll-out of e-pharmacy will improve accurate data capture significantly.
In the meantime there is a pressing need to improve information databases
to facilitate the introduction of the new community pharmacy contract
next year,” it states. This is because a database that can track
data at an individual patient level is needed for both modelling and
reviewing the effectiveness of the new contract, the letter explains.
Pharmacists are asked to ensure that the CHI number on prescriptions
is not obscured by the pharmacy address stamp. Posters for display in
pharmacies to raise the profile of CHI numbers are available from the
Scottish Executive.
The circular is accessible via Scotland's Health on the Web website (PDF may be damaged) |
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