Public health officials in Rhode Island are using electronic pharmacy data to track the use of oseltamivir and other antiviral medications being used to treat patients infected with the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus.
As part of an ongoing partnership with Surescripts, an electronic prescribing network, all 181 pharmacies in Rhode Island now can send and receive electronic prescription information over a secure network. As a result, pharmacies are able to transmit information to the Rhode Island Department of Health on all antiviral prescriptions written in the state. Even if a physician uses a handwritten prescription, the information is available from the pharmacy's electronic system.
At a press conference, Dr. David Gifford, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, said prescriptions for antiviral medications provide a good proxy measure for infection with H1N1 virus and are a complement to other surveillance systems such as school absenteeism and emergency department visits.
Real-time electronic data on antiviral prescriptions also allow health officials to match supply and demand, he said. If prescriptions are about to outpace the supply, the health department can anticipate shortages in the antiviral supply and release more medication.
Additionally, if there are reports of a large volume of H1N1 illness in a community, but not a lot of prescribing of antiviral medication, there might be a need for more physician education, Dr. Gifford said. Conversely, if the pharmacy data show a large amount of antiviral prescribing in areas where there is not a lot of H1N1 activity, it could indicate inappropriate prescribing of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) for seasonal influenza, he said.
“This is really a whole new tool in our tool bag,” Dr. Gifford said.
The statewide initiative is believed to be the first in the nation and allows pharmacies to send data that have been stripped of personal patient information to the health department on a weekly basis. The prescription data include the patient's age and zip code as well as the prescribing physician's name, allowing health officials to track the progress of the outbreak by communities.