A new online platform has been designed to overcome some of the issues preventing wider access to medical cannabis in the UK, by enabling doctors to prescribe independently of clinics.
Script Assist, which has been developed by the team at cannabis healthcare company, Sana Healthcare, aims to help solve some of the problems they’ve identified doctors, private practices and patients are facing when it comes to prescribing cannabis in the UK.
The platform, which is already being used by clinicians in the UK, aims to provide doctors with everything they need to prescribe medical cannabis independently from specialist cannabis clinics.
More than 40,000 specialist clinicians are eligible to prescribe cannabis across the UK, but only around 100 (0.25%) are actively doing so.
A report recently published by Volteface revealed a hesitancy among doctors to prescribe through a cannabis-specific clinic, with many indicating they would be more comfortable prescribing from their existing practices.
The team at Sana have been developing the technology behind the scenes and announced this week the company would be rebranding as Script Assist to focus on raising awareness of the new software and increasing safe, ethical and data-led prescribing in the UK.
What is Script Assist?
The platform and its paired patient app helps guide clinicians and patients through the prescribing process.
The online portal gives UK specialists access to everything they need to prescribe, providing a step-by-step guide, compliant with the latest GMC, NICE and NHS regulations.
It allows doctors to connect with new or existing patients and provides a data-led formulary to select the right cannabis-based products.
Medications will be safely dispensed to patients and new prescription cases can be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team to make sure they’re safe, ethical and appropriate.
What does the platform offer for patients?
Script Assist is also an important resource for patients, who can download the app to learn more about medical cannabis and find a suitable doctor through its partnership with the Cannabis Directory.
Patients can also use the app to log their symptoms, allowing their doctors to track their medical progress in real time.
The story behind Script Assist
Script Assist is the brain-child of MedTech entrepreneur and former BBC Junior Apprentice winner Arjun Rajyagor, and Dr Ilan Lieberman, a specialist in pain management.
Mr Rajyagor was inspired to develop a technical solution to the problems with medical cannabis prescription following his own mother’s battle with chronic pain.
The team behind Script Assist
“Today is the culmination of years of hard work and I’m proud to be re-branding Sana Healthcare as Script Assist, our flagship platform that I’m sure will have a huge impact on cannabis prescribing in the UK,” he said.
“It’s not hard to see that clinicians are facing barriers to prescribing medical cannabis. Of the tens of thousands eligible to prescribe, only around 0.25% are actually doing so in the nearly five years since medical cannabis was legalised. So, we asked them, why? We listened to their concerns around confidence, governance and a lack of understanding, and came up with a solution.
“With Script Assist, we’ve streamlined the medical cannabis prescribing process, so doctors can feel confident about the practicalities of prescribing it, and focus on their patients.”
As a pain clinician, Dr Ilan Lieberman faced similar challenges, but from a different angle.
After becoming aware of the existing body of research for medical cannabis and its benefits for pain, Dr Lieberman knew he had patients who would benefit, but couldn’t find a way to prescribe it to them from his existing private practice.
Dr Lieberman commented: “Working as a pain clinician, I’m always looking for the best and safest treatment possible for my patients. I know many other clinicians have found themselves in my predicament – I wanted to prescribe medical cannabis, but I didn’t want to join a cannabis clinic.
“I wanted a simple way to monitor my patients’ symptoms as they used these medicines and support to make sure I was following all regulations and guidelines. This is what Arjun and I have created, an effective and easy to use solution to these barriers of prescribing.”
Doctors, private practices and patients can learn more about Script Assist at scriptassist.co.uk
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