Regulating ScriptCheckWA

Protecting patient privacy

Information in ScriptCheckWA is personal health information and is subject to the privacy principles applicable to all information of this type.

Every time a health practitioner or an authorised officer at the Department of Health views a patient record in ScriptCheckWA, the access event is automatically logged by the system. Access logs are unable to be changed or deleted.

The Department of Health will monitor access logs to ensure ScriptCheckWA is not being accessed or used inappropriately.

Keeping ScriptCheckWA records secure

ScriptCheckWA uses data encryption whenever information is transferred or stored.

Before a health practitioner or authorised officer at the Department of Health can view a person’s information in ScriptCheckWA, they must log on to the system using multi-factor authentication.

Will data in ScriptCheckWA be used for research and planning?

The Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 (external site) allows de-identified information collected in accordance with this Act, which includes the information in ScriptCheckWA, to be used for research and planning.

Any use of data from ScriptCheckWA for research would need to be in accordance with the WA Health Research Governance Framework (external site).

How does the Department of Health use information in ScriptCheckWA?

The Department will use information in ScriptCheckWA:

• To routinely monitor for prescriber compliance with the regulatory requirements for prescribing monitored medicines, including prescriber compliance with the Monitored Medicines Prescribing Code (Word 2MB).
• To inform decisions when administering the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 (external site), such as recording a person as a Drug Dependent Person or an Oversupplied Person or issuing a prescribing authorisation for a Schedule 8 medicine.
• As part of investigating incidents relating to the prescribing and dispensing of monitored medicines. 

Monitored Medicines have a role in the management and treatment of many medical conditions. Each individual health practitioner has a responsibility to determine the clinical appropriateness of prescribing or dispensing a Monitored Medicine. The implementation of ScriptCheckWA does not change this responsibility. ScriptCheckWA provides timely and accessible information to health practitioners to support this responsibility.

ScriptCheckWA does not stop prescribers or pharmacists from prescribing or dispensing a monitored medicine to their patient. The system provides information to health practitioners to facilitate safer clinical decisions in relation to the use of monitored medicines.

Abruptly ceasing or decreasing a patient’s treatment with a monitored medicine without appropriate ongoing support or treatment may cause serious patient harm. The ScriptCheckWA learning modules, available at NPS MedicineWise Learning (external site), include training to assist with open and honest conversations between patients and health practitioners about Monitored Medicines.