Data Resource Profile: The Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (HEPMA) National Data Collection in Scotland.

Introduction: To support both electronic prescribing and documentation of medicines administration in secondary care, hospitals in Scotland are currently implementing the Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (HEPMA) software. Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, agreements have been put in place to centrally collate data stemming from the operational HEPMA system. The aim was to develop a national data resource based on records created in secondary care, in line with pre-existing collections of data from primary care.

Seasonality of admissions with multiple sclerosis in Scotland.

Background And Purpose:   Previous studies have described a seasonal pattern of MS relapse risk. Vitamin D and infectious triggers are two major candidate environmental risk factors proposed to account for this effect. We aimed to assess MS admissions in Scotland for a possible effect of seasonality.

The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in Scotland: inferences from hospital admissions.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder with a highly characteristic disease distribution. Prevalence and incidence in general increase with increasing distance from the equator. Similarly the female to male sex ratio increases with increasing latitude.