Prescription drug abuse is becoming an increasingly menacing problem in the armed forces. Because injuries sustained while engaged in active duty often lead soldiers to take a prescription medication course, many members of the armed forces are becoming addicted to these drugs.
Moreover, according to an article published by The National Journal Group – a news source highlighting the technology and business side of the government – when these prescription courses run out, drug dealers in towns close to where these individuals are stationed are taking advantage and exacerbating the problem by flooding camps with more drugs.
As such, the article states that for the Marine Wounded Warrior Battalion, fighting against the use of both illegal and prescription drugs has become a foremost priority.
However, the battalion's existing system of electronic medical records software is unable to achieve this goal. For example, while the system can track prescriptions written on site, drug prescriptions obtained from anywhere else are not properly processed.
According to an Army doctor who asked not to be identified, "the [EMR system in place] is a mess. Most clinicians have given up relying on automated tools … to track and document medication use and have resorted to free-texting this information." Consequently, "when I need to, I manually type in the list of medications the patient is taking."
Considering this reported failure, it would be wise for any medical facilities associated with the U.S. military to partner with a medical technology consulting company that can provide solutions for EMR and esprescribing software. These professionals can help facility managers fix any holes in an existing platform and tailor a digital system to function exactly as they desire, affording superior monitoring for officials looking to track the prescription intake of soldiers.
These products are equally effective for facilities treating civilian patients.
Microwize Technology is a leading healthcare IT consultant offering products such as electronic medical records software and medical billing software from top providers like Allscripts and McKesson, including McKesson's Medisoft, Lytec and Practice Choice products.