PROTOMED UNVEILS PIONEERING VISUAL PRESCRIPTION

Medication management design specialist, Protomed, has launched Medigram™ – the world’s first visual prescription designed to reduce errors in applying topical prescriptions. Building on Protomed’s flagship product Biodose™, this groundbreaking product enables carers to see at-a-glance where, when and how a cream or ointment should be applied.

The Medigram system works with existing Biodose software, allowing prescribers including GPs, pharmacists, dispensing doctors and practice nurses to generate body map diagrams indicating where to apply external medication. This information is then included in the patient’s care plan.

Following recent news that 69.5% of care home residents have suffered medication errors, Medigram has appeared at a time when tackling drug error is of great concern. The product helps carers apply topical medications exactly as prescribed, improving patient outcomes and reducing wastage. Crucially, Medigram eliminates issues with ambiguous instructions on prescriptions for topical medication, making the process safer for all health professionals in the prescription and administration cycle.

“The way medication is administered in care homes has come under close scrutiny of late,” says Protomed director, Norman Niven. “But as care homes endeavour to tackle these problems, any assistance that can be provided, particularly with new and innovative products, has to be welcomed.

“Managing topical medications is often overlooked in the push to improve patient compliance, but it is an essential part of a ‘joined up’ approach to eliminating errors: Crucially, it also protects the person applying the medication who may otherwise bear the responsibility for any inaccuracies. We’ve designed Medigram specifically to combat this problem, with a view to simultaneously improving quality of care for patients and care home performance.”