title: Memorandum on the use of information technology to improve medication safety.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Information technology in health care has a clear potential to improve the quality and efficiency of health care, especially in the area of medication processes. On the other hand, existing studies show possible adverse effects on patient safety when IT for medication-related processes is developed, introduced or used inappropriately.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To summarize definitions and observations on IT usage in pharmacotherapy and to derive recommendations and future research priorities for decision makers and domain experts.
  
  
  METHODS
  This memorandum was developed in a consensus-based iterative process that included workshops and e-mail discussions among 21 experts coordinated by the Drug Information Systems Working Group of the German Society for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recommendations address, among other things, a stepwise and comprehensive strategy for IT usage in medication processes, the integration of contextual information for alert generation, the involvement of patients, the semantic integration of information resources, usability and adaptability of IT solutions, and the need for their continuous evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Information technology can help to improve medication safety. However, challenges remain regarding access to information, quality of information, and measurable benefits.
authors.affiliation: Elske Ammenwerth, Institute of Health Informatics, University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology (UMIT), Eduard Wallnöfer-Zentrum 1, 6060 Hall in Tirol, Austria, E-mail: elske.ammenwerth@umit.at.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ammenwerth
authors.forename: A-F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Aly
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bürkle
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christ
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dormann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Friesdorf
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Haefeli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeske
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaltschmidt
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Menges
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neubert
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rascher
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Reichert
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schuler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schreier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Seidling
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stühlinger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Criegee-Rieck
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008490:Medical Informatics; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000592:standards*; D061214:Patient Safety; D058996:Quality Improvement
keywords: Drug therapy safety; decision support systems; drug safety; information technology; medication safety; patient safety