THE USE OF COMPUTER IN PHARMACY

THE USE OF COMPUTER IN PHARMACY

INTRODUCTION

The computer has become a very common tool in all areas of science and technology. With the proliferation of the Internet and the developments in computer technology and manufacturing, the ratio of price to performance of computers continues to decrease. This has resulted in the development of number of computer applications. The field of pharmacy has immensely benefited by the use of computer and will continue to benefit as the pharmacist's gain more familiarity with computers. The complete field of pharmacy requires computers. Some of the important areas where computers are useful are new drug discovery, drug design, analysis, manufacturing of drugs and hospital pharmacy. Other than these, computers helps pharmacist collaborate with other professionals, which is very essential in today's research work. It also provides solutions for time consuming manual task. Various hardware and softwares have been developed without which drug discovery, designing, manufacturing and analyzing would become virtually impossible. Further development is still in progress which will make pharmacist's job easier. The more important fact is that they will enable us to discover new drugs for the complete care of dangerous of diseases like aids, cancer etc. and reduce the cost of production of drugs for diseases which are easily cured. Computers are also useful for hospital pharmacist and in telemedicine. A lot has been done and a still has to be done for improving the computer facilities for pharmacist.

Communication:
          Computers are used within pharmacies to facilitate communication. From email to other Internet-based messaging systems, online communication allows pharmacists and other pharmacy staff to keep in contact both within their own organization and within the professional community. Some pharmacy companies have their own Intranet systems for internal communications over the Internet.
Prescription Processing:
          Prescription processing is invariably one of the main activities going on within a pharmacy on a day-to-day basis, and computers are used to make this process more reliable and efficient. Both the customer service side of pharmacy operation and the dispensing aspect are today carried out through the use of computing systems. Pharmacy computers also handle customer service activities such as sales and cash handling within the retail operation.
Information:
            Having access to the Web via pharmacy computers is something that has enhanced the ability of pharmacists to carry out their duties to a higher standard. As well as giving the pharmacy staff access to the vast store of information that is available on the Internet, including those on specialist pharmacy resources, the Internet connects pharmacists to their peers on a global scale. Professional communities for pharmacists operate on-line, creating an atmosphere that is conducive to professional development.
Databases:
          Computer databases for information about medicines, and medical treatment in general, are used within pharmacies. These database systems allow pharmacy staff to find out information about any potential conflicts or health-care problems in a prescribed treatment, as well as information about the details of any particular medicine the pharmacist needs to know more about. This information may include ingredients and potential effects as well as research and scientific data.

Now-a-days computers are used in pharmaceutical industries, hospitals and in various departments for drug information, education, evaluation, analysis, medication history and for maintenance of financial records etc.   They have become indispensable in the development of clinical pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and in pharmaceutical research.

Computer has various uses in the field of pharmacy. In the modern world pharmacy is used in computerized systems. For example all the medicine and equipments are maintained by computer monitoring application. Such as medicine’s temperature control, medicine expire data detection, control of surgery equipments by computers. Basically any kind of data-management can be done by computers.

Pharmacy can create its own chamber to keep the medicine in safe. Secure temperature control is needed so in that case computer has its inevitable action. Some special features of medical term logy like DNA/RNA test specimen can be placed in the pharmacy by computer software management. Special kind of harmful bacteria fungus which is needed for medical purpose is suitable placed by computer locked path chamber.

Detection of medicine and other drugs can be done by computer system quickly and effectively. Secure payments monitoring systems can be installed by computer application so those customers feel secure in payments procedure. Customer history in the purchase of medicine and equipments can be done effectively by computers critical patience summary, patience history; medication can be monitored wisely and securely by computer application.
Cornelia, kidney, blood sample is placed in a secure chamber and it is maintained by computer systems. Temperature control, pressure managements are done by computers regularly.
So my irrefutable denouncement is that computer has outstanding scope in the arena of pharmacy industrial. If we can serve these kinds of computer systems in our pharmacy sector then our pharmacy industrial will prosper in a prosperous way.

As with most health-care processes, pharmacy operations have been significantly changed by the advent of digital and computing technology. Computers are used for various tasks within a pharmacy, both in terms of how pharmacists carry out their duties and handle patients. Pharmacy computing systems make use of resources, such as the Internet, although many pharmacies use custom-made software systems to carry out their daily activities.

THE HISTORY OF COMPUTER APPLICATION IN PHARMACY

Computer science and technology is deeply utilized in pharmacy field everywhere like in pharmacy colleges, pharmaceutical industries, research centers, hospital pharmacy and many more. Computer significantly reduces the time, expenditure, and manpower required for any kind of work. Development of various software makes it trouble free to handle huge data. In short, computers are playing critical role in pharmacy field, without computers pharmacy research will be long lasting and expensive.

But now a day’s use of computers in pharmacy field reduced the manpower and time. Computers are almost related to every corner of pharmacy field. These are utilized in the drug design technique, retail pharmacy shop, clinical research centers, crude drug identification, drug storage and business management, hospital and clinical pharmacy, in pharmacy colleges.

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION OF COMPUTER IN PHARMACY

Right now computers and pharmacy go hand in hand. Drug and patient database management; order entry systems; drug information; billing; purchasing; automated dispensing units; and on and ON! If you have a background in both health care and computers/computer science you will be a hot product.

Today we can exchange health information and provide  services across geographic, time and social boundaries.

COMPUTER AND MEDICAL EDUCATION

Computers have revolutionized the way education is handled in the today’s world.. In medical education, computers are particularly useful because there is such a need for learning and presenting large amounts of data, getting and comparing accurate study and test results, and effectively monitoring patients.

HEALTH INFORMATICS

Health care informatics or medical informatics is the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care. It deals with the resources, devices, and methods required to optimize the acquisition (gaining), storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine.

                    Health informatics tools include not only computers but also clinical guidelines, formal medical terminologies, and information and communication systems. It is applied to the areas of nursing, clinical care, dentistry, pharmacy, public health and (bio)medical research.

COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN OF DRUGS

A further refinement of new drug design and production was provided by the process of computer-aided design (CAD). With the availability of powerful computers and sophisticated graphics software, it is possible for the medicinal chemist to design new molecules and evaluate their effectiveness.

PRESENTATION

The field of medicine often relies on complex definitions of conditions and procedural techniques. If you are an educator, use the computer to show your medical students PowerPoint presentations that simplify the large amounts of text often needed in medical science. Stick to the basics in the visual presentations. You also may use computers to present video data of medical policies or procedures, or for slide shows of diseases or traumas and their treatments.

PAPERS

If you are doing a medical research study, you can use the computer to write your findings, format a paper for publication, find relevant studies on the Internet or print posters for medical conferences. If you use the Internet, stick to reputable information sources such as electronic versions of medical journals. Being able to write these kinds of papers is crucial in establishing your credibility as a medical professional because they show that you have an understanding of one or more medical topics and are able to conduct research and present information.

SIMULATION

n  Because medicine involves hands-on work, medical students need to practice procedures before they do the procedure for real on a patient. Use computer programs that simulate surgery and other procedures to meet this need.

TESTING AND SELF EVALUATION

Use computers to take tests on medical subjects or to quiz yourself on medical data. The advantage of this is that you can get immediate feedback and do not need to depend on your instructor to review information or to find out how well you have learned. If you use this method, keep your tests or reviews short and use them often rather than having huge long tests and reviews. You are more likely to retain information if you use it frequently, and in medicine, you'll also be called on to pull many medical facts daily from memory.

INFORMATION SYSTEM IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES

Pharmaceutical companies are responsible for providing updated, relevant information on the efficacy, safety and quality of drugs to medical professionals and finally to patients. To fulfill this responsibility, they developed a drug information database system to manage various information generated during development of new products and after launch of the products.

                   This system is incorporated into an on-line network system, and can be directly accessed by thousands of people all over the world.

DRUGS INFORMATION AND SERVICES

Pharmaceutical companies are responsible for providing updated, relevant information on the efficacy, safety and quality of drugs to medical professionals and finally to patients. To fulfill this responsibility, they developed a drug information database system to manage various information generated during development of new products and after launch of the products.

                   This system is incorporated into an on-line network system, and can be directly accessed by thousands of people all over the world.

INFORMATION STORAGE

Computers can store massive amounts of data. Use a computer or personal digital assistant to take and store notes on any patients you may see as you go on supervised rounds. This makes it much easier to find the medical information you need when discussing the patient and reduces the physical amount of papers and texts you need to carry with you. This is very important in medicine, since efficiency and ease of referencing medical information impacts the speed and accuracy of patient treatment.

THE AREAS COMPUTER IS APPLIED IN PHARMACY

Communication

Computers are used within pharmacies to facilitate communication. From email to other Internet-based messaging systems, online communication allows pharmacists and other pharmacy staff to keep in contact both within their own organization and within the professional community. Some pharmacy companies have their own Intranet systems for internal communications over the Internet.

Prescription Processing

Prescription processing is invariably one of the main activities going on within a pharmacy on a day-to-day basis, and computers are used to make this process more reliable and efficient. Both the customer service side of pharmacy operation and the dispensing aspect are today carried out through the use of computing systems. Pharmacy computers also handle customer service activities such as sales and cash handling within the retail operation.

Information

Having access to the Web via pharmacy computers is something that has enhanced the ability of pharmacists to carry out their duties to a higher standard. As well as giving the pharmacy staff access to the vast store of information that is available on the Internet, including those on specialist pharmacy resources, the Internet connects pharmacists to their peers on a global scale. Professional communities for pharmacists operate on-line, creating an atmosphere that is conducive to professional development.

Databases

Computer databases for information about medicines, and medical treatment in general, are used within pharmacies. These database systems allow pharmacy staff to find out information about any potential conflicts or health-care problems in a prescribed treatment, as well as information about the details of any particular medicine the pharmacist needs to know more about. This information may include ingredients and potential effects as well as research and scientific data.

Error Prevention

Pharmacy computer systems can help to prevent errors in medication, potentially saving lives and generally preserving the health of patients. As well as checking medicines and combinations of medicines, these systems can in some cases check on patient information. The availability of such systems varies across the different geographical areas, but in some cases pharmacy computers are able to check on prescribed medicines with specific reference to a patient and their overall health-care picture.

Retriever of Data’s using the computer system.
Computer is an electronic device consisting of various components like key board, CPU (Central Processing Unit), VDU (Visual Display Unit or Monitor), printer and mouse etc. Most activities follow the basic principle of Input-Process-Output (I-P-0 cycle). This can be best illustrated by an example of registration in hospitals. A person who wishes to see a senior doctor has to fill a request slip. This slip contains the relevant data, i.e., name, age, sex, etc. The operator then feeds this data from the request slip into the computer. The process in this case includes examining the availability of senior doctor and determining whether the data suits to the patient or not. As a result of this process, some information is output. The output may be in the form of a printed proforma. if the senior doctor is available or otherwise a message may by the commuter turning down the request.

COMPUTER SOFTWARE USED IN PHARMACY

1.   WinPharm:

2.   Pioneer RX

3.   HBS Pharmacy Software

4.   Arteb Pharmacy Solution e.t.c

Standard pharmacy software features should include:

• User friendly input and recall of patient, drug and prescription information
• HIPAA and regulatory compliance (including DEA reporting, FDA required MedGuides)
• Full prescription management
• Complete third-party claims submissions including adjudication (V5.1, etc)
• Failsafe features for safety and accuracy
• On-line reconciliations
• Drug-file updates
• Tailored labels
• A/R management
• Inventory management
• Electronic wholesaler ordering
• Bar code scanning
• Signature capture
• E Prescribing
• Auto Dr fax
• Complete and accurate drug interaction and other databases
• Interfaces for POS, IVR, Automatic Dispensing Systems, reconciliation systems and other important third party products and services
• And much more

Ultimately, the right software will allow you make better business decisions and give you an edge in the market. A representative financial model (see Business Case) will help you evaluate the financial impact of pharmacy management software on your business.

Additional software features can include:

• Workflow management
• Hand held integration for deliveries
• Claim resubmission profit maximization programs
• Pill imaging
• POS integration
• And much more

Having the right software will allow you to deliver the highest level patient care while maximizing your profits and allow you to spend more time generating new business.

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Safety of Patients information
• Security of the computers
• Patients diagnoses

Also there are disadvantages

• Software error
• Insurance company could be offline at times
• Updates

Conclusion: Limited and inconclusive evidence about whether these systems are effective and what system features are optimal may explain the wide variation among systems in terms of what problems are screened and may also explain clinicians' uncertainty about their value. A comprehensive national research agenda for reducing medical errors should include research on the effectiveness of computer-aided PDUR.

A recently published Institute of Medicine report^[1] identifies medical errors as a leading cause of injury and death and calls for "a comprehensive and strong response to this most urgent issue facing the American people." Recommended steps include developing procedures to assist pharmacists in detecting errors and encouraging hospitals to use error reduction techniques. In the Harvard Medical Practice Study,^[2] researchers identified adverse drug events as the single most common cause of error-related injury. While these reports focus primarily on errors of commission, failure to cure, control, or prevent a disease through underuse (i.e., errors of omission) of medication is another cause of drug-related morbidity and mortality that may be at least as common.^[3-6]

A frequently recommended method for preventing adverse drug events is computer-aided screening of prescriptions.^[7] Pharmacists generally screen, or perform prospective review, of a patient's medication regimen during the prescription dispensing process to prevent drug-related problems that, if uncorrected, might lead to adverse effects or failure to achieve treatment goals. Prospective drug utilization review (PDUR) became legally mandated for Medicaid patients following the implementation of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA '90) in January 1993. Up until that time, this activity had been voluntary on the part of the pharmacist.

In performing PDUR, most pharmacists are assisted by DUR software applications that are resident on their pharmacies' computer systems (i.e., in-store computer-aided PDUR). A pharmacy benefits manager or claims processor may also use DUR software applications online at the time of electronic claims adjudication (i.e., online computer-aided PDUR). Both in-store and online systems issue an electronic alert when a prescription claim violates a preestablished criterion for appropriate drug use. These PDUR alerts typically indicate the type of problem detected and whether an interacting or duplicative medication was dispensed from the same pharmacy or a pharmacy different from the one submitting the claim. Online systems offer a unique advantage: They allow users to review a prescription against a profile of all medications a patient has purchased from all the pharmacies that have submitted prescription claims for that patient. In this article we focus on computer-aided PDUR using in-store and online computer systems. Electronic alerts that are primarily administrative in nature (e.g., prior authorization alerts and same-day refill alerts) are not considered here.

News reports of pharmacists failing to catch potentially significant drug-drug interactions captured the interest of the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA). These organizations were concerned about the media's failure to focus on the role computer-aided PDUR can play as a potential solution and about reports that pharmacists were frequently overriding PDUR alert messages.

USP and APhA convened a steering committee to oversee the preparation of an advisory report summarizing the issues surrounding computer-aided PDUR and making recommendations. The committee solicited input from recognized experts from academic pharmacy, the legal profession, third party payers, and system vendors with the intent of compiling their observations and recommendations into a single report. However, the committee found a lack of consensus among these experts; in fact, opinions on specific issues diverged widely, as Table 1 shows. In this article we propose that lack of published evidence is the cause of much of this controversy and recommend research approaches that could improve the evidence base for computer-aided PDUR.

Standards have been set for evaluating the effectiveness of clinical preventive services.^[8] These standards require a satisfactory level of evidence before a health care provider recommends that a screening test be included as part of a periodic health examination. Analogously, the effectiveness of computer-aided PDUR systems should be demonstrated convincingly before they are recommended as a primary tool for preventing adverse medication outcomes.

Uncertainty as to whether a particular health care intervention improves care is now widely recognized as a major reason for variation among providers in rates of use of the intervention.^[9,10] Therapeutic decision making about whether to implement the health care intervention takes place in the absence of clear, evidence-based guidelines and recommendations. When considering the rate of uncertainty about computer-aided PDUR, prescription insurance plan managers make decisions about which, if any, system vendor to contract with in the absence of evidence about which system attributes yield maximum effectiveness. Furthermore, system vendors make decisions about which criteria to include in a system and which operational definitions and system algorithms to use in the absence of evidence to support these decisions. Health care providers make decisions about whether a particular alert signifies a real drug use behavior that must be addressed.

References:

1.   Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Indiana Board ofPharmacy - Pharmacy Technician Requirements and  Application, on the Internet at  http://www.in.gov/pla/2898.htm.

2.   National Center for O*NET Development, O*NET Online, Summary Report for: 29-2052.00 – Pharmacy Technicians, on the Internet at http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2052.00

3.   http://baonsquarestech.blogspot.com/

4.