TasScript Privacy Collection Notice For Health Practitioners

Introduction

TasScript is Tasmania’s monitored medicines database which records real-time information about prescribing and dispensing of certain high-risk medicines (monitored medicines) to patients.

TasScript was designed to help reduce the harms in the community associated with high-risk medicines and is intended as a clinical decision support tool to enable prescribers and pharmacists to make more informed clinical decisions before they prescribe or dispense a monitored medicine.

TasScript will also hold information regarding legal authorisations to make available Schedule 8 medicines issued under Section 59E of the Poisons Act 1971 by the Secretary, Department of Health in Tasmania.

TasScript will be kept by the Tasmanian Department of Health in accordance with the Poisons Act 1971 and regulations, and Personal Information Protection Act.

Registering To Access TasScript

Prescribers and dispensers will be able to access TasScript if they are registered in the system.

As part of the registration process for TasScript, the Tasmanian Department of Health will collect certain personal information, including:

  • Your name

  • Date of birth

  • Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) registration number and profession as per Ahpra registration

  • Contact information – phone number and email address

  • Principal place of practice details – suburb, state/territory and postcode

  • Prescriber number if relevant

The information provided when you register to use TasScript assists in verifying your identity and confirming your Ahpra registration details. Once this verification step is completed, your date of birth will not be stored in TasScript as part of your Health Practitioner profile.

You are also asked to provide your contact details. These details will not be made publicly available and will only be used to communicate necessary correspondence to you, such as when you request a password reset or when there are important updates about TasScript which you need to know.

Failure to provide this information will mean that you are unable to access and use TasScript.

What Other Information About a Health Professional Will Be Collected and How Will It Be Used?

Once registered, TasScript will also collect personal information about you when you prescribe or dispense a monitored medicine using Prescription Exchange Service (PES) connected clinical software. The information collected for these prescribing and dispensing events includes the details of the prescriber and/or dispenser, the patient details and the details of the monitored medicines that are being prescribed or dispensed (including details of prescription and supply).

TasScript will also log the use of the system by registered users, including the details of the records accessed.

Under What Circumstances Would Your Personal Information Be Disclosed?

The Tasmanian Department of Health will disclose your personal information to the following people and entities to facilitate the proper administration of TasScript:

  • Ahpra, for the purposes of verifying your identity

  • Other registered health practitioners who can view prescribing and dispensing information in TasScript for a patient

  • Tasmania’s Department of Health – to allow the Department of Health to perform functions and exercise powers under the Poisons Act 1971 and regulations

  • ICT service providers for the purpose of ICT support, as well as to validate new users and remove old users of TasScript, and

  • It is also intended that TasScript will form part of the national real time prescription monitoring scheme under which information will be shared with, and collected from, prescribers, dispensers and regulators in other States and Territories.

Your information is stored on secure systems within Australia and is not disclosed overseas.

How Is My Privacy Protected?

There are specific legislative requirements to ensure people who are authorised to access information in TasScript are doing so in an appropriate manner.

There are penalties under the Poisons Act 1971 for unauthorised access or use of information in TasScript.

Information collected by the Tasmanian Department of Health in relation to TasScript is handled in accordance with the Poisons Act and Personal Information Protection Act.

How Can I Correct a Record in TasScript If I Believe It Is Incorrect?

Prescription records about what you have prescribed or dispensed are sourced from records created from practice and dispensing clinical software.

TasScript does not alter prescription records sourced from practice or dispensing clinical software. If you believe there is an error in a prescription record in TasScript, this may be corrected by amending the prescription record created in the practice or dispensing clinical software. The corrected information will be automatically updated in TasScript.

If you believe there is an error in the information contained in TasScript other than a prescription record, please write to us at [email protected]

Further Information

For further information about how the Department manages personal information, view the Department’s Personal Information Protection statement on the Department’s website (https://www.health.tas.gov.au/).

For further information about TasScript: