Module 6, IT in pharmacy practice

Question 1

What does LASA stand for?

Answer 1

• look-alike sound-alike automated screening application

Question 2

What are some health initiatives that are directly relevant to pharmacy practice?

Answer 2

• clinical decision support rules in computer systems
  
  • prediction using artificial intelligence (=dynamic modelling, machine learning, adaptive algorithms), accessing single or mulitple sources of data to guide management decisions
  • PainCheck- pain detection through facial recognitions
    
    • dementia, or crying babies
  • ScalaMed- blockchain prescription exchange system drawing on clinical and genomics data to alert the patient to interactions, warnings or need for dose adjustment
  • stock management & ordering using sales data to predict:
    
    • seasonal changes
    • wastage due to expired stock
  • clinical prompts and guidance for medication selection, dosing & adjustments
  • sentimental analysis to adapt machine responses to match a persons emotion

Question 3

How does IT prevent clincial errors?

Answer 3

• automated alerts detecting
  
  • duplicate medication classes
  • drug interactions
  • multiple routes of administration
  • out-of-range doses
  • allergies to medicines
  • potential for confusion between medicine names or routes
• caution realert fatigue (densensitisation)
  
  • excessive alerts are generally false-positive
  • however, ignoring alerts can be a significant patient saftey hazard
  • recommendations
    
    • tiers of alerts
    • restrict alerts to most significant issues
    • apply human factors in design of alerts (appearance, sound)

Question 4

We need IT systems that:

Answer 4

• reduce our ‘faith’ in the machine
  
  • human logic & cognitive processes still required
• prevent silent errors e.g. wrong selection from lists
• support rather than replace communication
• help manage interruptions in work flow
• recognise non-linear work flows e.g. dispensary technician handing over to pharmacist mis-dispensing
• offer more efficient incident reporting (in real time)

Question 5

Describe how health consumers engage with IT?

Answer 5

• health apps
• medavisor
• healthengine: Dr appointments
• Freestyle libre blood glucose scanning to replace finger prick tests
  
  • detects falls
  • link to medical data

Question 6

Applications of health technologies…

Answer 6

Question 7

What is a health professionals role with IT?

Answer 7

• keep abreast of technological developments
  
  • beyond awareness
  • beyond simply adopting and responding to new technologies when released
• pharmacists should be able to operate:
  
  • as engaged health professionals
  • within an evolving technology universe
  • within the framework of government policy
  • with a vision for connectivity and paperless healthc care

Question 8

What is the pharmacists role with IT?

Answer 8

• to maintain the pharmacys digital presence (website, blog to assist in recognition by Google, e commerce, social media)–> professionalism and regular updates are key
• manage ‘Dr Google’ searches/ downloads by consumers
• interpret consumer-monitored health data e.g. BP readings and understanf the:
  
  • validity & reliability of data
  • limitations of apps (lack or artificial intelligence to interpret trends and out of range readings)
• interpret medication adherance data (MedicineWise, TerryWhite Chemmart)
• potentially receive al-generated predictions and warnings about health risks e.g. risk of fall, heart attack

Question 9

What are some challenges & risks for IT?

Answer 9

• managaing multiple data sources; self generated by health consumer, populated in MHR from various health professionals, predicted by Al, population/ societal averages vs healthy data ranges- which data are trustworthy?
• data security (hacking)
• uncertainty in decision making
• incomplete data
• outdated data