Published 23 hours ago,
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For the past few months, fifty pharmacies in Brittany have been experimenting with the Osys system, a new software that determines the health needs of patients. The goal? Take care of as many minor ailments as possible in pharmacies and relieve congestion in emergencies.
Faced with the shortage of doctors and the hospital crisis which are hitting France hard, the Pharma System Quality association, supported by ARS Bretagne and the URPS Pharmacists & Liberal Doctors of Brittany, has developed a completely innovative software. This is a 2.0 care pathway that allows pharmacists to provide advice tailored to patients.
A personalized care pathway
The OSys project (Orientation in the Healthcare System) is a simple digital tool made available to pharmacists. It comes in the form of a personalized questionnaire during which the patient – who has presented himself beforehand at the pharmacy – is “oriented” according to various indicators.
These must fall under one of the software’s 13 triage situations: diarrhea, constipation, low back pain, sore throat, allergic rhinitis, tick bites, burns, headaches, etc.
“This software makes it possible to respond to this daily care, which is part of the pharmacist’s mandatory missions, in a reliable, secure and homogeneous manner. As a bonus, the questionnaire only lasts 6 to 10 minutes”says Martine Costedoat, pharmacist in charge of the project.
Depending on their answers, the patient may be referred to:
- the pharmacist himself;
- A doctor (the pharmacist will manage the post-questionnaire by calling the patient’s doctor, if necessary);
- The emergencies.
In all cases, the response is quick and allows the most worried patients to be reassured – by avoiding the emergency room. With the patient’s agreement, a report of the interview may also be sent to the attending physician.
A facilitating, fast and economical program
Another significant advantage of this project: “The system is inexpensive, confirms the general manager of Pharma Quality System. This interview in a pharmacy costs 15€ for social security compared to 25€ for a medical consultation and 200€ for a visit to the emergency room.
This experiment, conducted with ARS Bretagne, should last two years.
“If the system proves to be efficient, it is intended to be opened up at the national level”says Martine Costedoat enthusiastically.
In Brittany, the project already seems to have proved its worth: out of some 400 people who have agreed to submit to Osys since the beginning of the year, more than three quarters have been able to return home without going to the hospital or to a doctor.
A great initiative in this region which, like so many others, has a problem of medical desertification.