Storing Records

As you will know, it is a requirement that laboratories retain and store their prescriptions (and many other records) for a minimum of five years.  As technology moves on and with storage space becoming more limited for some labs, new methods for storing this data effectively are becoming more common. Dentists are choosing to store and communicate more of their records electronically, with the scanning of models and more recently online prescribing methods becoming more popular.

Some laboratories are beginning to look to similar space saving ideas, one method for labs to save on storage space and reduce the risk of their records deteriorating over time, is to scan in and save their prescriptions, this enables earlier appropriate disposal of these records, thus freeing up more space in-house!

Two important things to remember for anyone thinking of going down this route is firstly to ensure the scanned in documents are clearly readable, and secondly to ensure they are adequately backed up, to avoid any losses if there are any unexpected problems such as electricity cuts, computer viruses etc.

Categories: DAMAS Update