Computer listing of the effects of drugs on laboratory data

A listing of approximately 10000 effects of drugs on tests performed in clinical laboratories has been developed in a time-shared computer. The list contains a directory for matching proprietary and generic names of drugs and an explanation for the mode of action of the drug on each test. Each entry is supported by a bibliographical reference that contains the author's names, and the title of the article and journal. It is possible to search for specific ;character strings' (word or words, number, etc) to obtain all the effects of a particular drug, or all drugs that affect a particular test, or even to search for a specific explanation for an effect. The system is undergoing trial in the Department's own computer to permit of automatic correlation of the effects of drugs with laboratory data from patients in one hospital ward.