Patient-interactive computer system for obtaining medication histories

A portable, patient-interactive computerized system for obtaining medication histories is described. A comprehensive interview script modeling pharmacist-conducted medication-history interviews was written in lay language. The script contains sections on demographics, current medical conditions, medication regimen, medication compliance, symptoms, allergy history, dietary history, psychosocial history, and occupational and environmental exposure; it also asks the patient to evaluate the system. Some of the information requested is often not obtained by physicians during the history and physical examination. A program that conducts the interview by processing a computerized version of the script was developed with Microsoft QuickBASIC. The program was designed to be run on a personal computer microprocessor so that an interview can be conducted virtually anywhere by using a desktop or laptop computer. Summary reports suitable for inclusion in the medical record are generated after each interview. Patients using the system took an average of 40 minutes to complete an interview. They entered data easily and accurately, and they gave the system a high overall rating. The medication-history interviewing system described produces useful, comprehensive, and consistent reports and requires about the same amount of time to conduct an interview as a human interviewer.