Alert Rules

When certain risk conditions occur, TasScript raises an alert against a patient's profile to draw attention to the risk. A patient's alerts can be viewed against their Medication History, and in a historic alerts list.

  • High-Risk: The patient has been prescribed monitored medicines from four or more unique prescribers at four or more clinics in the last 90 days.

    When two or more of the prescribers are at the same clinic, they only count as one prescriber.

    A new High alert is raised in TasScript and the following message is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript

    High-risk clinical scenario: [Patient name] has obtained monitored medicine prescriptions from at least 4 different prescribers in the last 90 days. Take action to coordinate treatment to ensure patient safety.

  • Medium-Risk: The patient has been dispensed monitored medicines from 4 or more unique pharmacies in the last 90 days.

    A new Medium alert is raised in TasScript and the following message is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript

    Medium-risk clinical scenario: [Patient name] has obtained monitored medicines from at least 4 different pharmacies in the last 90 days. Take action to coordinate treatment to ensure patient safety.

This rule is also triggered when completing the dispensing. The same alert message is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript.

If a prescribe or dispense event meets the criteria for both alerts, the High alert is displayed.

  • High risk: The patient has been prescribed opioid medicines that cause their calculated average daily OME to exceed the high-risk threshold of 100mg.

    High-risk clinical scenario: [Patient name] is receiving an average total daily opioid dose of 100mg OME or greater, and may be at increased risk of harm. Take action to ensure patient safety.

  • Medium risk: The patient has been prescribed opioid medicines that cause their calculated average daily OME to be between 50mg and 100mg.

    Medium-risk clinical scenario: [Patient name] is receiving an average total daily opioid dose of 50mg OME or greater, and may be at increased risk of harm. Consider action to ensure patient safety.

Refer to Monitored Drug List > Drug Groups

drug combination

When the current prescribing or dispensing event for a monitored medicine combined with any monitored medicines which has been dispensed in the past 60 days for a patient represents a high-risk drug combination.

A new High alert is raised in TasScript and the following message is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript:

High-risk clinical scenario: [Patient name] is receiving [current transaction] and [previous dispenses] and may be at increased risk of harm. Reassess the need for this combination to ensure patient safety.

See the table below for a list of drug combinations that trigger this alert.

Current transaction Previous dispenses
a benzodiazepine methadone
methadone a long-acting opioid
a benzodiazepine fentanyl
fentanyl a long-acting opioid
methadone a benzodiazepine
a long-acting opioid methadone
fentanyl a benzodiazepine
a long-acting opioid fentanyl

This rule is also triggered when completing the prescribing or dispensing. The same alert message is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript.

This rule is triggered when a practitioner prescribes or dispenses a monitored medicine to a patient whose regulatory patient profile in TasScript indicates that they are currently receiving or have previously received treatment for opioid use disorder.

Rule triggered at time of prescribing or dispensing

A new High risk alert is raised in TasScript and the following message is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript.

High-risk clinical scenario: [Patient name] is currently or has previously been treated for opioid use disorder on the opioid pharmacotherapy program. Take action to ensure patient safety.

The same alert message is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript.

This alert is generated at the time of prescription of an S8 drug by a prescriber that does not have an approved authority to prescribe to the patient AND any of the following applies:

  • The patient is at a higher risk as they have been declared as drug dependent or notified drug seeking behaviour. (59E Declaration, 59B Notification, or both sliders are set to Yes in the patient's regulatory profile).

  • The drug has been dispensed to the patient within the past 3 months for longer than the prescribed period.

  • There is another prescriber who holds an approved authority for this patient.

  • The drug is listed under Regulation 24 (with the exception that the drug is fentanyl and it is prescribed for a palliative care patient).

Alert generated at time of prescribing

A new Medium risk alert is raised in TasScript and one of the following messages is displayed on the patient profile in TasScript.

Prescriber Not Authorised: [Patient name] has been declared drug dependent (s59E) or notified as a drug seeker (s59B) in Tasmania. Please check the TasScript Patient Profile and seek a s59E authority prior to prescribing a Schedule 8 substance.

Prescriber Not Authorised: [Patient name] has been supplied the Schedule 8 substance for more than the prescribed period (60 days). Please seek a s59E authority prior to prescribing the substance.

Prescriber Not Authorised: There is a current s59E authority issued to [Prescriber name] to treat [Patient name] with a Schedule 8 substance. Please check the TasScript Patient Profile to ensure co-ordinated clinical care with the authorised prescriber and/or seek a s59E authority if assuming ongoing clinical care for this patient.

Prescriber Not Authorised: The prescribing of this Schedule 8 substance is associated with more complex clinical management and higher potential for harm. A s59E authority is required prior to prescribing this substance.