Study on the Frequency of Overlooked Risks Associated with Drug Code-Based Allergy Checks in Japan

Comprehensive drug allergy confirmation is one of the key functions of electronic medical record system. However, current allergy check functions mainly rely on drug classification codes and often fail to account for different dosage forms with separate codes. To evaluate the risks of missed allergy checks, we created a drug ingredient list from the NHI Drug Price Standard and assigned 5-digit group codes based on shared compounds or metabolites, considering drug metabolism. A simulation using these codes on our EMR revealed that around 15% of prescriptions for oral drugs and 5% for injectable drugs had a risk of insufficient allergy checks, falling short of the desired standard. These findings highlight significant risks in YJ code-based allergy check method, emphasizing the need for improved safety measures in medical information systems.