History and Future of KALIS: Towards Computer-assisted Decision Making in Prescriptive Medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Pharmacology
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Increasingly older population in Germany necessitates polypharmacy for multimorbid patients.
• Current computer-assisted decision-making systems primarily focus on guidelines and prescribing information, neglecting molecular data.
• There is a need to reduce prescription errors and adverse drug reactions in elderly patients with multiple conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a new concept for the KALIS-2 system, an advancement of the existing KALIS system and PIMBase.
• To improve computer-assisted decision-making by integrating molecular information alongside guidelines.
• To enhance the usability and interoperability of drug-related problem discovery tools for healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• Development of the KALIS-2 system based on existing KALIS and PIMBase projects.
• Modularisation of system components for improved extensibility and maintainability.
• Integration with electronic health records (EHR) standards for seamless workflow communication.
• Implementation of new visualization modes for patient-specific subgraph analysis.
• Development of a reporting tool for offline use and patient-practitioner dialogue.

Main Results:

• The KALIS-2 system offers improved modularisation for future extensions and maintenance.
• Interoperability with EHR standards facilitates integration into existing healthcare workflows.
• New visualization tools enable users to explore individual patient data within a subgraph.
• A reporting tool supports offline use and patient-practitioner communication.

Conclusions:

• The KALIS-2 system aims to enhance decision support for polypharmacy by incorporating molecular data.
• Improved modularisation, interoperability, and visualization are key advancements.
• Addressing reasons for the failed adoption of previous systems is crucial for KALIS-2's success.