ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of recent, current and imminent service changes. It considers some of the datasets, used at individual practitioner level, and reflects on the potential value of linking the datasets. In primary care the main datasets which are in use are hosted at either the individual general practice or community pharmacy level. Patient Medication Records (PMRs) first emerged in community pharmacy in the 1990s as part of a negotiated contracted process which was the first initial step to move community pharmacy from a technical dispensing paradigm to a more clinically delivered service. Most recently policy documents in the UK have encouraged developments pursuing the mantra of increased patient convenience and improved access to medicines. The Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d) provides a unique code for each medicine and device along with a textual description of the item. A single electronic patient record, linking all settings of care and all professionals remains the ideal solution.
