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Use of computerized databases for drug therapy quality management
1McGuire VA Medical Center.
Topics in Hospital Pharmacy Management
|June 8, 1991
Summary
Future drug utilization reviews (DUR) should use concurrent screening via computerized databases to actively protect patients from adverse drug events. This contrasts with current retrospective reviews, highlighting a necessary shift in pharmaceutical quality management.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Pharmacovigilance
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Hospital databases are currently used for Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE).
- The Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act proposed prospective screening for community Medicare prescriptions.
- Current DUE functions often involve retrospective reviews, which do not directly benefit the patient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the limitations of retrospective DUE.
- To advocate for concurrent screening systems for improved patient safety.
- To emphasize the necessity of computerized databases for future DUE activities.
Main Methods:
- Discussion of the proposed point-of-service system from the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act.
- Analysis of the potential for a centralized database linking pharmacies for claims processing and quality management.
- Comparison of retrospective versus concurrent screening methodologies.
Main Results:
- Retrospective DUE is labor-intensive and does not offer immediate patient protection.
- A centralized, point-of-service system could enable concurrent screening.
- Computerized databases are essential for effective concurrent drug safety monitoring.
Conclusions:
- The future of DUE lies in concurrent screening to actively protect patients.
- Transitioning from retrospective to concurrent DUE is a necessary evolution.
- Implementing computerized databases is crucial for advancing patient safety in drug prescribing.