Automated pharmacy databases and behavioral health care quality assurance

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials suggest that medications can be efficacious in several psychiatric disorders. The effectiveness of medications as they are used in practice remains to be seen. Automated pharmacy data give evaluation researchers tools to examine the quality of care for people using psychotropic medications. Reasonably convincing data indicates that automated pharmacy records are valid measures of medication consumption. Evaluation research is needed in areas such as standard setting, risk adjustment, and the linking of pharmacy data to outcome measures.