Prescribing in disaster-affected areas

If you do not have access to electronic prescribing software, paper prescriptions will need to be utilised. Ideally you should have a supply of paper prescription pads stored in a safe place within your practice and within your doctor's bag.

Prescriptions are deemed valid if they are written on blank paper and include the following mandatory information:

• the prescriber's name, practice address (or address of evacuation centre) and prescriber number,
• the patient’s name, date of birth and address,
• whether the prescription is for a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) or Repatriation PBS (RPBS) medicine or private script,
• the name, strength and form of the medicine,
• the dose and instructions for use,
• the quantity and number of repeats,
• the prescriber’s signature,
• the date the prescription is written, and
• the patient’s Medicare number and any entitlement details, including Commonwealth concession, pension or healthcare card details or veterans’ entitlement number. 

When a prescription is issued, the details listed above must be included in the clinical consultation notes.

Federal and state or territory arrangements are in place to allow patients continued access to their essential PBS and RPBS medicines if they are affected by a natural disaster or emergency.

Although the following may vary between disasters, usual arrangements include:

• that in most states and territories, patients can access a three-day supply of most medicines without a prescription from a pharmacist,
• ‘owing prescriptions’, whereby a pharmacist can dispense a medicine on confirmation from the prescribing GP, noting that the prescription must be received by the pharmacy within 7 days, and
• ‘continued dispensing’ of previously dispensed medicines where there is an immediate need for the medicine and the PBS prescriber is not contactable. 

Further information on these arrangements is available on the .