[Computerized decision support in drug prescribing II: A national database to provide up-to-date and unbiased information].
Prescribers today encounter increasing demands for up-to-date knowledge of medical advances and drug therapies, and for a straightforward dialogue with patients. Cost-effective drug treatment calls for fast and intuitive access to information about drugs, treatment strategies and patient data. There are several computer-based drug-prescribing systems in Sweden. Information independent of the drug industry is wanting, as are uniform national standards for medical content and functionality. Decision-support systems must facilitate decisions about therapy, drug distribution and intake, as well as quality work, i.e. support the entire process which defines an effective drug therapy. A very important feature is access to a patient's drug list showing all current drugs. This joint initiative by county councils aims at drawing up a national Swedish specification of requirements for a suitable decision-support system and at creating a national entity responsible for distributing unbiased information from a unique database to a range of computerized medical records systems.
Gustafsson
Lars L
LL
Avdelningen för klinisk farmakologi, Karolinska institutet, Huddinge Universitetssjukhus. lars-l.gustafsson@labmed.ki.se
Widäng
Kenneth
K
Hoffmann
Mikael
M
Andersén-Karlsson
Eva
E
Elfman
Karin
K
Johansson
Björn
B
Johansson
Eva
E
Larson
Mats
M
D002380:Catalogs, Drug as Topic; D016303:Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems; D016208:Databases, Factual; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D004346:Drug Information Services; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D019338:Polypharmacy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013548:Sweden