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Legal issues associated with pharmacokinetic software
1College of Pharmacy, University of Toledo, OH.
American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Pharmacokinetic computer software aids drug dosage consultations but raises legal questions about physician reliance and liability. Careful selection and validation are crucial for safe and effective use of this medical software.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Pharmacology
- Health Law
Background:
- Physician reliance on pharmacists for drug dosage expertise is common.
- Pharmacokinetic computer software is increasingly used in clinical practice.
- Legal implications surrounding the use of such software require careful consideration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss legal issues related to pharmacokinetic computer software.
- To explore liability concerns for physicians, pharmacists, and software developers.
- To examine the legal concept of negligence in medical software.
Main Methods:
- Review of legal principles concerning medical computer software.
- Analysis of liability distribution among software stakeholders.
- Discussion of due care requirements for software users.
Main Results:
- Physicians rely on pharmacists for expert drug dosage consultation.
- Liability issues involve physicians, pharmacists, designers, manufacturers, and sellers.
- Negligence principles apply to medical software, requiring user due care.
Conclusions:
- Programmers and manufacturers must ensure software accuracy.
- Users must identify software limitations to ensure consultation accuracy.
- Clinical perspective, validation, and selection are key to safe software use.