West London Children’s Healthcare (WLCH) has implemented a clinical decision support system to enhance prescribing safety for children and young individuals.
The paediatric network, which serves nearly 500,000 children through acute and specialist services, introduced Dosium’s Touchdose software in the children’s emergency department at St Mary’s Hospital in August 2024.
Dosium, developed as a spin-out from Imperial College London, integrates with the British National Formulary (BNF) and British National Formulary for Children (BNFC) to automatically determine precise prescription doses based on patient data.
Calculating medication doses for children is notably more intricate than for adults, with Touchdose aiding clinicians in determining accurate dosages and providing guidelines on administration route, frequency, and treatment duration.
Following a simulated study showing a 76.5% reduction in prescribing errors, Touchdose is set to be implemented across additional departments in NHS Trusts to enhance patient safety and workflow efficiency.
This initiative, funded through NHS England’s digital medicines scheme, aims to leverage digital technology for safer and more patient-centered prescribing practices.
The successful deployment of Touchdose marks a significant advancement in healthcare for young patients in northwest London, ensuring the delivery of secure and effective care.
