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The team behind the Electronic Prescribing Risk and Safety Evaluation (ePRaSE) tool has welcomed its recognition in the latest report from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration: Procurement and Safety Learning in Acute Hospitals.
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The HSSIB report examines the safety of electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) systems used across NHS acute hospitals and highlights the importance of robust mechanisms for identifying, assessing and learning from digital medication safety risks. Within the report, ePRaSE is cited as an important tool that NHS organisations can use to assess whether their ePMA systems are functioning as intended and supporting safe prescribing in practice.
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The report notes that ePRaSE can support healthcare organisations in evaluating the effectiveness of local system configurations, acknowledging that ePMA safety performance can vary significantly between organisations using the same technology. The ePRaSE tool is cited in one of HSSIB’s safety observations, reminding commercial manufacturers and NHS organisations that they ‘can improve patient safety by contributing to and engaging with ePRaSE processes.’
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In the most recent release, 107 organisations completed the ePRaSE assessment and the results provided emerging evidence of improvement among those trusts who have undertaken consecutive assessments. There is still significant opportunity for further system optimisation, with findings showing that performance is influenced not only by the software itself but also by local configuration, maintenance and optimisation practices.
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Commenting on the report, Ann Slee, chair of the ePRaSE steering board said:
“We are delighted to see ePRaSE recognised within this important HSSIB investigation. The citation reflects years of collaborative work with NHS organisations, clinicians, digital teams and researchers to better understand how electronic prescribing systems perform in real-world settings. Patient safety depends not only on implementing digital systems but on continuously evaluating and optimising them. The recognition of ePRaSE in this report marks an important milestone for the programme and reflects growing national awareness that digital medicines safety requires continuous monitoring, evaluation and learning. As NHS organisations continue to invest in digital prescribing technologies, ePRaSE provides a practical mechanism for understanding risk, supporting optimisation and helping to ensure that the benefits of digital transformation translate into safer patient care.
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Neil Watson, director of innovation at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust added: “I am particularly pleased to see the ePRaSE Learning Lab recognised within the HSSIB report. While identifying risks is an essential first step, meaningful improvement comes from creating opportunities for organisations to share experiences, learn from one another and collaborate on solutions. The Learning Lab was established to consolidate available information and best practice guidance with the aim to accelerate learning across the NHS. Its inclusion in the report highlights the growing recognition that improving digital medicines safety requires not only robust evaluation tools, but also a strong culture of shared learning and continuous improvement.”
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About ePRaSE
The Electronic Prescribing Risk and Safety Evaluation (ePRaSE) tool is an NHS-endorsed web-based self-assessment programme designed to help healthcare organisations evaluate how effectively their electronic prescribing systems mitigate known prescribing risks. Through simulated prescribing scenarios and structured safety assessments, ePRaSE supports trusts in identifying vulnerabilities, benchmarking performance and improving patient safety. Since its launch in 2019, the programme has worked with NHS organisations across England to support the safer implementation and optimisation of electronic prescribing systems. Find out more here:Â https://eprase.info
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