Frequently Asked Questions

• Professional and Legal

•  Is providing bilingual labels legal?

  Yes, there are several legal documents pertaining to the labeling of medicine, all state that English must appear on the label but an additional language can be added provided the same information is presented in both languages.
  
  For example, The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (Chapter 1, Language requirements etc 266(7)) states:
   "Information may be given in several languages provided it is the same information in all the languages"

•  What has the GPhC said about this?

  After deliberations with the GPhC we came to the understanding that the GPhC recognise the patient-serving nature of the software. As such, it should be assessed by the superintendent pharmacist in the same way any other tool is assessed. The Written Medicine team can supply more details on request, contact us for more information

•  How do I know the translations are correct?

  Our software does not use an algorithm to produce a translation. All translations are developed over 4 stages by humans to ensure the translations are accessible by all patients and accurate:
  
  Once we are satisfied with the translations, they are released for our users to use. We would encourage all users to raise any issues with the translations, no matter how minor they are.

•  Am I covered by indemnity insurance to provide these labels?

  We have an agreement with the NPA, the details can be discussed at the induction.

•  What about Information governance and patient confidentiality?

  The software retains patient information and operates off of secure UK based servers, it conforms with IG principles. IG documents can be downloaded by subscribers once logged in.

• Operational

•  How do I install the software?

  You do not need to install anything. The software is web-based, all you need is a working internet connecting and a modern browser (preferably Google Chrome).

•  How do I use the software?

  The software is primarily focused on labelling (printing labels and A4 discharge summaries), this has allowed us to make it very user friendly. We can talk you through how to use it over the phone or in person, and there are tutorial videos subscribers can access.

•  Is the database up to date with all medicines?

  The database of medicines holds the vast majority of generic and branded medicines used in community pharmacies. It may not have some injections that are administered by a healthcare professional in a secondary care setting.

  If a medicine is missing which you need to dispense, you can create custom entries with ease.

•  Do I need extra equipment/hardware to use this software?

  No, the software is designed to run on minimal settings and equipment. It needs nothing more than your label printer and a computer.

•  How does it pull information from my PMR system/is it integrated?

  For the time being, it is not integrated with other software and it does not extract patient data from your PMR. We are in talks with major PMR providers in both community and hospital pharmacy to have this in place in the near future. Contact us for details.

•  Will this cause a problem with my PMR?

  No, this will have absolutely no effect on your existing PMR system or patient record. The two pieces of software are totally separate and have no relation.

•  How many languages does Written Medicine provide?

  Please scroll up to see the available languages. If we don’t have the language(s) you need, give us a ring, there might be something we can help with.

•  How much does it cost?

  Please Contact Us for pricing and trials.

•  Can I get bespoke literature translated?

  Yes of course, Contact Us for a quote.