“Recipe in 5 minutes”, “let go without leaving home, legally and safely” - there are a lot of such ads on the Internet. Theoretically, the operation of prescription machines is legal, but there are also abuses. The Ministry of Health is responding.
A regulation restricting the issuance of paid prescriptions and sick leaves online is due later this year.
“We are currently working on tightening the rules for electronic prescriptions for all psychotropic and narcotic substances in order to limit the possibility of issuing them without visiting a doctor,” Yaroslav Rybarchik from the Communications Department of the Ministry of Health told Wprost.
Earlier, members of the Expert Council of the Polish Chamber of Physicians and the Committee on Medical Ethics raised the issue of abuses in this area. Representatives of the Institute of Social Insurance also became interested in the case.
It’s no secret that the introduction of telemedicine, on the one hand, made life easier for patients, and on the other hand, led to the sale of prescriptions. This is especially true on the Internet. It is enough to fill out a health questionnaire, pay a fee (usually in the amount of several tens of zlotys), and in a few minutes you will receive a prescription for the selected drug by e-mail or text message. For example, for contraceptives (permanent and emergency), drugs used for chronic diseases, depression, back pain or obesity.
Some order them in bulk, and consultation with a doctor is carried out only on paper. Representatives of the Polish Psychiatric Association especially demand an end to this practice. A few days ago, Deputy Minister of Health Waldemar Kraska spoke about abuses in the field of prescription machines on Radio Plus. In his opinion, issuing dozens of prescriptions by a doctor within a dozen or two minutes is doubtful. A doctor cannot see all patients in such a short time. Prescriptions are probably written by people who use only a doctor’s seal and write prescriptions from a machine, the deputy minister said.
Can a doctor write a prescription without examining the patient?
Yes, a doctor can issue a prescription necessary to continue treatment without examining the patient, if this is justified by the patient’s medical condition, as reflected in the medical records. In the absence of access to it, he must act in accordance with the general rule of law - to make a decision on the state of health of the patient after a preliminary, personal examination or examination using ICT systems or communication systems. The issuance of a prescription without examining the patient can only take place if the treatment is continued, provided that this is justified by the patient’s state of health, reflected in the medical records.
“The doctor is responsible for prescribing this medicine to the patient. He must be guided by current medical knowledge, professional ethics and due diligence, whether he is prescribing medication during an in-person visit or a teleconsultation. The behavior of doctors and doubtful situations that do not comply with the code of medical ethics are resolved by the professional responsibility department of the medical self-government,” adds Yaroslav Rybarchik from the Ministry of Health.
Source: Wprost
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