PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023
ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL
ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
Ethics and Health Informatics
➔ Health care informatics, like other health professions,
encompasses issues of appropriate and inappropriate
behavior, of honorable and disreputable actions, and of
right and wrong.
➔ Students and practitioners of the health sciences,
including informatics, share an important obligation to
explore the moral underpinnings and ethical
challenges related to their research and practice.
★ What is Ethics?
○ Defined as a moral philosophy or code of
morals practiced by a person or group of
people.
★ What is Morality?
○ It is the standard of society used to decide what
is right or wrong behavior.
What are the Principles of Health Ethics?
➔ Principle of Autonomy
➔ Principle of Equality and Justice
➔ Principle of Beneficence
➔ Principle of Non-Maleficence
➔ Principle of Impossibility
➔ Principle of Integrity
1. Principle of Autonomy
➔ All persons have a fundamental right to self-
determination.
2. Principle of Equality and Justice
➔ All persons are equal as persons and have a right to
be treated accordingly.
3. Principle of Beneficence
➔ All persons have a duty to advance the good of others
where the nature of this good is in keeping with the
fundamental and ethically defensible values of the
affected party
4. Principle of Non-Maleficent
➔ All persons have a duty to prevent harm to other
persons insofar as it lies within their power to do so
without undue harm to themselves.
5. Principle of Impossibility
➔ All rights and duties hold subject to the condition that it
is possible to meet them under the circumstances that
obtain.
6. Principle of Integrity
➔ Whoever has an obligation has a corresponding duty
to fulfil that obligation to the best of her or his ability.
Some ethical issues in Health Informatics
➔ 1. Confidentiality
➔ 2. Privacy
➔ 3. Data security
➔ 4. Obligations and Standards for System Developers
and Maintainers
➔ 5. Liability
➔ 6. Professional-Patient
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Confidentiality
➔ Confidentiality in health care refers to the obligation of
professionals who have access to patient records or
communication to hold that information in confidence.
➔ Confidentiality is recognized by law as privileged
communication between two parties in a professional
relationship, such as with a patient and a physician, a
nurse or other clinical professional (Brodnik,
Rinehart-Thompson, Reynolds, 2012)
Privacy
➔ Privacy, as distinct from confidentiality, is viewed as
the right of the individual client or patient to be let
alone and to make decisions about how personal
information is shared.
➔ Health professionals, specially with the modern
technology, may result to sending health records to
their colleagues whenever they ask for another’s
opinion. This must be done only with the patient’s
permission.
Data security
➔ Security refers directly to protection, and specifically to
the means used to protect the privacy of health
information and support professionals in holding that
information in confidence.
➔ As the new normal turns more and more to electronic
use, some people have concerns with their information
being hacked and compromised by other people.
Obligations and Standards for System Developers
and Maintainers
➔ Users of clinical programs must rely on the work of
other people who are often far removed from the
context of use. Users depend on the developers and
maintainers of a system and must trust evaluators who
have validated a system for clinical use.
➔ Purchasers, users, and patients must trust developers
and maintainers to recognize the potentially grave
consequences of errors in the system, because these
are not just ordinary system but a health care system.
Liability
➔ Although there are few, legal precedents directly
involving harm or injury to patients resulting from use
of clinical software applications do occur.
➔ Product liability applies only to harm caused by
defective products and is not applicable to services
rendered by the health professional. The primary
purpose of product liability is to compensate the injured
parties rather than to deter or punish negligent
individuals .
Professional-Patient Relationship
➔ If technology can improve professional–patient
relationships, perhaps by improving communication,
then we shall have achieved a happy result.
➔ Although some still think negatively of technology
being too infused with health.
 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023
ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL
➔ “If reliance on computers impedes the abilities of
health professionals to establish trust and to
communicate compassionately, however, or further
contributes to the dehumanization of patients then we
may have paid too dearly for our use of these
machines” (Shortliffe, 1994).
Appropriateness of Applying Health Informatics
➔ Application of computer-based technologies in the
health professions can build on previous experience in
adopting other devices, tools, and methods.
➔ Before clinicians perform most health-related
interventions (e.g., diagnostic testing, prescription of
medication, surgical and other therapeutic
procedures), they generally evaluate appropriate (1)
evidence, (2) standards, (3) available technologies, (4)
presuppositions, and (5) values.
➔ Similar considerations determine the appropriate use
of informatics tools.
The Standard View of Appropriate Use
➔ Excitement and enthusiasm often accompany initial
use of new tools in clinical settings. Negative emotions
are also common.
➔ Based on the uncertainties that surround any new
technology, scientific evidence counsels caution and
prudence. As in other clinical areas, evidence and
reason determine the appropriate level of caution.
➔ The standard view states:
★ when adequate (and even exemplary)
decision-support tools are developed, they should
be viewed and used as supplementary and
subservient to human clinical judgment.
➔ Quite literally: they support decisions; they do not
make them.
➔ These tools should assume subservient roles because
the clinician caring for the patient knows and
understands the patient’s situation and can make
compassionate judgments better than computer
programs
➔ Corollaries of the Standard View
1. Practitioners have an obligation to use any
computer- based tool responsibly, through
adequate user training and by developing an
understanding of the system’s abilities and
limitations;
2. Practitioners must not abrogate their clinical
judgment reflexively when using computer-based
decision aids
➔ Error avoidance and the benefits that follow from it
shape the obligations of practitioners.
➔ In computer-software use, as in all other areas of
clinical practice, good intentions alone are insufficient
to insulate recklessness from culpability.
Appropriate Users and Educational Standards
➔ Potential users of such systems include:
1. physicians,
2. nurses,
3. physicians’ assistants,
4. paramedical personnel,
5. students of the health sciences,
6. patients, and
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7. insurance and government evaluators
➔ Are members of all these groups appropriate users?
➔ The appropriate level of training must be correlated
with the question at hand.
Privacy, Confidentiality, and Data Sharing
Challenges of the Information Age
➔ Balancing two competing values:
★ free access to information, and
★ protection of patients’ privacy and confidentiality
➔ Only computers can efficiently manage the nowvast
amount of information generated during clinical
encounters and other health care transactions;
➔ At least in principle, such information should be easily
available to health professionals and others involved in
the administration of the care delivery system, so that
they can provide effective, efficient care for patients.
➔ HOWEVER, access to personal health information
may be available to;
1. Curious health care workers who do not need the
information to fulfill job-related responsibilities, and,
2. Other people who might use the information to
harm patients physically, emotionally, or financially
How are we going to address the challenges?
➔ Clinical system administrators must balance the goals
of protecting confidentiality by restricting use of
computer systems and improving care by assuring the
integrity and availability of data.
➔ What is Privacy and Confidentiality?
★ The terms privacy and confidentiality – NOT
SYNONYMOUS.
★ Privacy - Generally applies to people, including
their desire not to suffer eavesdropping.
★ Confidentiality - Best applied to information.
➔ Example:
★ •If someone follows you and spies on you entering
an AIDS clinic, your privacy is violated; if someone
sneaks into the clinic without observing you in
person and looks at your health care record, your
record’s confidentiality is breached.
What are the reasons for protecting privacy and
confidentiality?
➔ Privacy and confidentiality are widely regarded as
rights of all people, and such protections help to
accord them respect.
➔ Protecting privacy and confidentiality benefits both
individuals and society
★ Patients who know that their identifiable health care
data will not be shared inappropriately are more
comfortable disclosing those data to clinicians
What are Legal Issues in Health Care Informatics?
➔ Every aspect of the health informatics profession is
affected in some way by ethical and legal concerns.
➔ The issue essentially comes down to finding a way to
balance the need to protect the security of patient
information with the potential for better care and
outcomes associated with greater interoperability and
improved ability to share records among healthcare
entities.
 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS 2nd Semester
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023

ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL

How are Laws and Ethics connected? this Purpose a National Privacy Commission, and
for Other Purposes
➔ Ethical considerations apply in attempts to determine
★ A.k.a Data Privacy Act Of 2012
what is good or meritorious in accordance with higher
★ Personal information such as an individual's health,
principles.
health records are considered sensitive personal
➔ Legal principles are generally derived from ethical
information.
ones but deal with the practical regulation of morality
➔ Joint Administrative Order No. 2016-0002
or behaviors and activities.
★ Privacy Guidelines for the Implementation of the
➔ Ethics offers conceptual tools to evaluate and guide
Philippine Health Information Exchange
moral decision making.
★ This Code is promulgated to prescribe the
➔ Laws directly tell us how to behave (or not to behave)
procedures and guidelines that ensure the
under various specific circumstances and prescribe
protection of the privacy of a patient.
remedies or punishments for individuals who do not
comply with the law (3) Copyrights, patents, and intellectual property
Legal Issues ➔ Intellectual property protection afforded to developers
of software programs, biomedical knowledge bases,
➔ 1. Liability under tort law;
and World Wide Web pages remains an
➔ 2. Legislation governing privacy and confidentiality;
underdeveloped area of law.
and
➔ Although there are long traditions of copyright and
➔ 3. Copyrights, patents, and intellectual property issues.
patent protections for non-electronic media, their
(1) Liability under tort law applicability to computer-based resources is not clear.
➔ Tort ➔ Copyright Law and Patents
★ A tort is an act or omission that gives rise to injury ★ Copyright law - protects intellectual property from
or harm to another and amounts to a civil wrong for being copied verbatim
which courts impose liability. ★ Patents - protect specific methods of implementing
★ In the context of torts, "injury" describes the or instantiating ideas.
invasion of any legal right, whereas "harm" ➔ Copyrights, patents, and intellectual property –
describes a loss or detriment in fact that an Philippines
individual suffers ★ Covered By REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8293
➔ Tort law in the Philippines ○ An Act Prescribing the Intellectual Property
★ Contained in Republic Act No. 386 Code and Establishing the Intellectual
○ An act to ordain and institute the civil code of Property Office, Providing for its Powers and
the Philippines Functions, and for other Purposes
○ a.k.a Civil Code of the Philippines ○ A.k.a. Intellectual Property Code of the
○ The general principle of civil liability is found in Philippines. What is the Copyrights, patents,
Art 2176, Civil Code of the Philippines: and intellectual property Law in Philippines
○ "Whoever by act or omission causes damage to
another, there being fault or negligence, is
obliged to pay for the damage done. Such fault
or negligence, if there is no pre-existing
contractual obligation between the parties, is
called a quasi- delict”
➔ Three ideas from tort law potentially apply to the
clinical use of software systems
1. Harm by intention —when a person injures another
using a product or service to cause the damage,
2. The negligence theory
3. Strict product liability
★ Providers of goods and services are expected
to uphold the standards of the community in
producing goods and delivering services.
★ When individuals suffer harm due to
substandard goods or services, they may sue
the service providers or goods manufacturers to
recover damages.
(2) Legislation governing privacy and confidentiality –
Philippines
➔ Republic Act No. 10173
★ An Act Protecting Individual Personal Information in
Information and Communications Systems in the
Government and the Private Sector, Creating for

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 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS 2nd Semester
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023

ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL

IT Applications in Drug Information Retrievals, ADR Monitoring and other health related information

A review on information technology ➔ Therefore, highly sophisticated informatics programs

with better user interface must be designed to assist
➔ The use of hardware, software, services, and healthcare professional to sift through the plethora of
supporting infrastructure to manage and deliver information and utilize it in routine decision making
information using voice, data, and video process.
➔ The science and activity of using computers and other
electronic equipment to store and send information ADR Reporting Mobile Apps
➔ Impact of Informatics on Health ➔ Recent technological developments such as mobile
★ Construct computer health information systems by apps may increase ADR reporting and improve the
studying the needs of doctors, nurses, patients, communication of new safety issues.
and health care organizations ADR PvPI
★ Create health networks that allow doctors, nurses,
and pharmacists to share knowledge and best ➔ PvPI (Pharmacovigilance Programme of India) adverse
practices drug reaction reporting android application.
★ Create new methods of information delivery that ➔ Using PvPI adverse reporting android application,
motivate patients to follow treatment healthcare professionals or consumers can instantly
recommendations report any suspected Adverse Drug Reaction to PvPI
from any part of India.
Adverse Drug Reactions Monitoring ➔ Adverse drug Reactions (ADRs) are reported from all
➔ A response to a medicinal product that is noxious or over the country to PvPI, which also work in
potentially harmful and unintended and which occurs at collaboration with the global ADR monitoring centre
doses normally used in human for prophylaxis, (WHO-UMC), Sweden to contribute in the global ADRs
diagnosis or therapy of a disease or for the data base.
modification of physiological function in which ➔ PvPI monitors the ADRs among Indian population and
individual factors may play an important role helps the regulatory authority of India (CDSCO) in
➔ ADR Monitoring: A common Post-marketing taking decision for safe use of medicines.
Surveillance
★ It is not possible to identify all safety-related
problems that may exist with drug during
premarketing test and evaluation.
★ For these reasons, it is obvious that safety
monitoring of a drug is carried out through the life
cycle of each medicinal product
○ Text text text
Role of Informatics in ADRs1
➔ Large scale data collection has generated vast amount
of information.
➔ For example, healthcare professionals are encouraged
to report possible ADR even if it is based on suspicion.
➔ This has created lot of noise and sifting through these
datasets for the detection of possible ADR signal
remains a challenge. Med Safety
➔ Informatics thrives on these kinds of large datasets
➔ The Med Safety app is a free smart phone app for
➔ Logical assumptions and hypotheses can assist in
reporting suspected adverse effects (or adverse drug
writing algorithms to develop software programs that
reactions) to National Competent Authorities
can fade background noise and detect potential ADR
(European Union).
signals.
➔ This simple tool lets you report adverse effects to
➔ Most of the software programs that are used as a part
medicines, keep track of previously reported
of electronic medical records systems are designed to
information and receive official news and alerts about
generate alert in order to prevent errors.
medicines you are taking or interested in.
➔ However, several studies indicated that frequent drug
➔ The Med Safety app has been developed as part of the
alerts result in “alert-fatigue” and can lead to overall
WEB-RADR project.
ignorance of such alerts by healthcare professionals.
➔ WEB-RADR is supported by the Innovative Medicines
➔ Further research is needed to grade ADRs based on
Initiative Joint Undertaking (IMI JU) under grant
risk potential and to develop informatics programs that
agreement n° 115632, resources of which are
can generate only “high-value alerts”.
composed of financial contribution from the European
➔ Additionally, several studies suggested that even
Union's Seventh Framework Programme
though information is available, it is not optimally
(FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies’ in kind
incorporated in the decision-making process.
contribution.

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 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS 2nd Semester
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023

ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL

ADR Online Reporting Systems

➔ Philippines

➔ United States

➔ New Zealand

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 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS 2nd Semester
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023

ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL

TECHNOLOGY AND PHARMACY

Pharmacy Practice and Technology ➔ Verification of accurate medication administration while

➔ As society’s use of technology continues to increase,
and as technology becomes more accessible and
sophisticated, digital health is here to stay.
➔ With technology changing current medical thought and
practices, it is critical for pharmacists to embrace the
use of technology to expand pharmacy services and
grow beyond traditional roles
➔ Automation
★ Any technology, machine or device linked to or
controlled by a computer and used to do work.
★ It is designed to streamline and improve accuracy
and efficiency of the medication use process.
➔ Technology
★ Anything that is used to replace routine or repetitive
tasks previously performed by people, or which
extends the capability of people.
Technologies & Automated Devices Applied
throughout the Medication Use Process
➔ Prescribing
★ E-prescribing
★ Computerized prescriber order entry
➔ Dispensing
★ Carousel technology
★ Centralized robotic dispensing technology
★ Centralized narcotic dispensing and inventory
tracking devices
★ Decentralized automated dispensing devices
★ IV and TPN compounding devices
★ Pneumatic tube delivery system üUnit dose
medication repacking system
➔ Administration
★ Bar code medication administration technology
★ Clinic decision support based infusion pumps
➔ Monitoring
★ Electronic clinical documentation systems
★ Web–based compliance and disease management
tracking systems
Medication-Use Process
➔ Medication use Process is a complex process that
comprises the sub processes of medication
prescribing, order processing, dispensing,
administration, and effects monitoring.
➔ It consists of five domains:
★ Purchasing/inventory management.
Prescribing/medication determination
Medication, preparation, dispensing,
counseling → Medication administration. → Patient
monitoring/assessment.
What do the Automated tasks include?
➔ Counting
➔ Inventory control (maintaining a perpetual inventory)
➔ Packaging
➔ Compounding
➔ Labeling
➔ Distributing
➔ Dispensing •
electronically documenting all transactions
Prescribing
➔ Computerized provider order entry
★ Direct entry of medical orders into a healthcare
system’s EHR* by licensed independent
practitioners or other staff with specific ordering
privileges, and not by clinical or administrative
support staff.
★ *EHR (Electronic health record)
○ software programs designed for use by
healthcare systems to electronically place,
store, and retrieve clinical orders, results, notes,
reports, and other information related to the
care of patients.
➔ E-PRESCRIBING (ERX)
★ The electronic transmission of a drug prescription
directly to a pharmacy through EHR technology.
★ This is especially common due to the pandemic
this 2020.
★ eRx has potential advantages in making
prescribing more efficient and safer:
○ calls from the pharmacist to clarify prescriptions
could be significantly reduced;
○ it’s less likely scripts will be filled incorrectly;
and
○ clinicians should receive notifications at the
point of care for potential interactions with
medications prescribed by other physicians
★ What about e-prescription/ e-medicine in the
Philippines?
○ Republic Act No. 8792 otherwise known as
the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000
➢ An Act Providing For The Recognition
And Use of Electronic Commercial And
Non-Commercial Transactions, Penalties
For Unlawful Use Thereof, And Other
Purposes, also known as the "Electronic
Commerce Act.
➢ According to this law:
- Drugstores, pharmacies and similar
outlets are now mandated to honor
electronic prescriptions, but shall not
include prescriptions needing PDEA
S2 license.
- Electronic documents shall have
→ legal effects, validity as any other
→ document
and - Electronic signatures are recognized
and presumed to belong to the
person it correlates to
- Electronic prescriptions serve as
original document
DISPENSING
➔ Automated Dispensing Cabinets
★ A computerized drug storage device or cabinet for
hospitals and many other healthcare settings.

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 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023
ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL
★ Allow medications to be stored and dispensed near
the point of care while controlling and tracking drug
distribution.
★ Also called unit-based cabinets (UBCs), automated
dispensing devices (ADDs), automated distribution
cabinets or automated dispensing machines
(ADMs)
➔ Carousel Automation
★ A medication storage cabinet with rotating shelves
used to automate dispensing.
★ must be interfaced with the pharmacy information
system.
★ The carousel utilizes bar code and pick-to-light
technology to improve the efficiency and accuracy
of pharmacy technicians who pick and restock
medications.
★ Rotating shelves within the carousel bring
medications to the technician at one working level.
➔ Centralized Robotic Dispensing System
★ Designed to automate the entire process of
medication dispensing including medication
storage, distribution, restocking, and crediting of
unit dose medications.
★ Advantages:
○ Accommodates a very large online inventory.
○ Automates medication restocking and removal
of expired medications.
○ Automates the credit process for any unused
medication doses.
○ Easily integrated bedside medication storage
systems.
○ Initial platform for point-of-care bar code
medication administration and documentation
system.
○ Labor saving and improved restocking accuracy
by automating and the restocking of the
decentralized dispensing systems.
○ Reduces pharmacists that are required to verify
technician filled medications, allowing a
reallocation of time to focus on patient care
activities.
○ Reduces technician labor required to fill unit
dose medication carts and first doses.
○ Theoretical patient improvements.
★ Disadvantages:
○ Dispensing accuracy is dependent on accurate
computer order entry.
○ Dispensing accuracy is dependent on accurate
repacking.
○ Does not accommodate refrigerated items.
üIncreased labor requirements for packaging
medications because all doses require a bar
coded package label.
○ Lack of standard bar codes in healthcare.
➔ Robotic IV automation (RIVA)
★ A robotic device that automatically prepares
medications for syringes and IV bags in a sterile
environment. Eliminates cross contamination and
errors in delicate medication preparations.
★ The exacting robotic system not only automates
crucial compounding processes that are vulnerable
to human error, but uses UV pulse disinfection for
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medication bags and vials to eliminate bacterial
and fungal contamination.
★ The device’s advanced technology also provides
clean air flow that is critical to ensuring a sterile
environment for compounding.
➔ Decentralized Automated Dispensing Devices
★ Aka: unit-based dispensing cabinets
★ are secure storage cabinets capable of handling
most unit-dose and some bulk (multiple dose)
medications due to storage limitations.
★ These devices are typically installed decentrally in
hospitals in patient care units, and are connected
via a real time interface to the hospital’s pharmacy
computer system in an attempt to maintain control
over drug dispensing.
★ The pharmacy focus of automated dispensing
systems is to provide prompt, real time availability
of medications for the nurse and patient.
★ They can also help to improved controlled
substance accountability, increase productivity,
improve charge capture and documentation
accuracy, and reduce pharmacy and nursing labor
costs.
★ In the Philippines, most organizations have not yet
linked their pharmacy computer systems to
automated dispensing devices.
➔ Advantages:
★ Ability to add expansion (auxiliary) cabinets to
increase capacity.
★ Ability to only allow access to a single dose of
medication.
★ Accommodate multiple dosage forms with flexible
drawer configurations.
★ Automated controlled substance retrieval, inventory
reconciliation and the process to resolve
discrepancies.
★ Automated medication charges increase the
amount of charges captured.
➔ Disadvantages:
★ Accurate inventory quantities are difficult to
maintain, resulting in medication stock outs.
★ Downtimes may impact patient care.
★ Poor integration with bedside medication storage
systems.
★ Duplicate inventory may increase costs and the
amount of expires medications.
★ The automated dispensing devices does not
prevent all drug dispensing and administration
errors.
➔ Potential for medication errors and suboptimal
therapy
★ drawers with open access pockets may result in
product selection errors.
★ nurses may access medication before a pharmacist
reviews the order.
➔ Unable to accommodate all medications
★ Because it is limited by medication size, cabinet
size, and risk level for a particular medication to be
stocked in a device.
➔ Centralized Narcotic Dispensing and Record
Keeping Systems
★ Is one of the most labor-intensive processes in a
central pharmacy.
 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023
ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL
★ Can also generate bar-coded nursing “proof of use”
forms for patient care areas without automated
dispensing devices.
★ Can suggest reorder quantities based on past
usage, provide useful compliance reports for the
Drug Enforcement Agency, and facilitate
documentation of controlled substance waste.
➔ Automation Impact on Pharmacy Manpower
★ Integrated delivery systems and automation will
continue to provide pharmacists with opportunities
to work more collaboratively with physicians and
other HCPs to assure appropriate drug therapy
decisions while positively impacting patient care.
Administration
➔ BAR CODE
★ A series of vertical lines and spaces of varying
widths that encoded data to be scanned and
decoded through a computer.
★ BAR CODE MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION
(BCMA)
○ An in-patient system to assist caregivers with
the five rights of medication administration.
○ Provide warnings if any of the five rights are
comprised
○ It also promotes right documentation.
➔ BAR CODE TECHNOLOGY
★ Implementation of barcode technology in the
pharmacy has been shown to reduce overall error
rates.
★ Used in automated identification of drug products
being applied to compounding and dispensing
workflows.
★ Automated counting machines, packaging
machines, inventory management technologies,
and dispensing machines all rely on barcodes as
medications move from the pharmacy to patients.
➔ Bedside barcoding
★ By using a mobile computer with barcode scanning
technology, staff can quickly scan a barcode on a
patient’s wristband and confirm the time, dosage
and prescription at the patient’s bedside – reducing
these costly errors and increasing patient safety
○ Text text text
What are some relevant terms to BCMA?
➔ DRUG LIBRARY
★ List of medications programmed in the smart pump
software.
★ The library includes properties such as name,
dose, and concentration for each medication listed.
This is the list detected by the BCMA.
➔ HARD LIMIT
★ A dose that serves as the absolute limit for drug
administration by the pump.
➔ IMAGER
★ An electronic device similar to a scanner that
analyzes an image, including linear and
two-dimensional bar codes, and digitally converts it
into data
➔ INFUSION PUMP
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★ A device that administers drugs or nutrition to a
patient through IV, SC, IM, intrathecal, epidural, or
intra – arterial routes.
★ Infusion pumps can administer fluids in very
controlled amounts.
➔ PROFILE
★ Unique set of options and best practice guidelines
for a specific patient population.
➔ SCANNER
★ An electronic device that analyzes an object, such
as a linear barcode, and digitally converts it into
data.
➔ Smart Pump Technology
★ Newer infusion pumps are designed to alert the
user when there is a risk of an adverse drug
interaction, or when the user sets the pump’s
parameters outside of specified safety limits.
➔ Soft Limit
★ Similar to hard limits but can be overridden and a
dose can be programmed for delivery.
What is an NDC number?
➔ As per the FDA mandate that took effect April 26,2004,
each unit of a product must contain NDC in a linear bar
code format by April, 2006.
➔ Linear bar codes contain a series of black and white
lines and spaces of varying thickness and distance
between the lines.
➔ The NDC is broken into three segments:
★ First segment may be four and represents the
manufacturer or labeler of the product.
★ Second segment identifies the product and is four
digits.
★ Third segment is two digits and identifies the
package size and type.
➔ Bar code packaging systems are mainly designed for
oral solid dosage forms.
➔ They do not originally address the handling of oral
liquid packages.
➔ For products that do not have space for a large label, a
label with a tail, often referred to as rat tail, tadpole, or
flag label can be used and wrapped around the neck of
the product or affixed to allow the bar code to be
scanned.
 PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATICS LECTURE - FINALS 2nd Semester
Instructor: Ms. Katrin Mae Ortega-Jacinto, RPh A.Y. 2022-2023

ARAOJO| CUENCA| GERMAR | IMPERIAL

➔ Bar codes can be scanned from a distance of up to 12 ➔ A method used in pharmacy practice in which a
inches, depending on the optimal focal length of the pharmacist utilizes telecommunications technology to
imager lens. oversee aspects of pharmacy operations or provide
➔ Although most codes can be read without difficulty, an patient-care services.
imager that is designed to read very small code may ➔ Telepharmacy operations and services may include,
have difficulty with focusing on very large codes, such but are not limited to:
as those on IV bags. a. drug review and monitoring,
Types of Bar Codes b. dispensing,
c. sterile and nonsterile compounding verification,
➔ Code 39 → A lineal, 1D, alphanumeric code with the d. medication therapy management (MTM), e. patient
ability to include the entire 128 ASCII character set and assessment,
extend to any length, only limited by the size of the e. patient counseling,
label. f. clinical consultation,
➔ Code 128 → this compact barcode is used extensively g. outcomes assessment,
in packaging and shipping applications worldwide. h. decision support, and
➔ Interleaved 2 of 5 →Commonly found in warehouse, i. drug information
distribution, and manufacturing.
➔ Universal Product Codes (UPC) → these barcodes
were originally created for grocery stores to provide
quick receipt printing and inventory tracking.
➔ International Article Number → these barcodes are
used specifically by booksellers, libraries, universities
and wholesalers for book traceability
➔ Data Matrix → It is a square in shape code and can
encode large – as in huge – amounts of information in
a very small space
Monitoring
➔ Inventory management systems
★ An inventory management system is the
combination of technology (hardware and software)
and processes and procedures that oversee the
monitoring and maintenance of stocked products,
whether those products are company assets, raw
materials and supplies, or finished products ready
to be sent to vendors or end consumers.
➔ Inventory management systems components:
1. A system for identifying every inventory item and
its associated information, such as barcode labels
or asset tags.
2. Hardware tools for reading barcode labels, such as
handheld barcode scanners or smartphones with
barcode scanning apps.
3. Inventory management software, which provides a
central database and point of reference for all
inventory, coupled with the ability to analyze data,
generate reports, forecast future demand, and
more.
4. Processes and policies for labeling,
documentation, and reporting.
5. This should include an inventory management
technique such as Just in Time, ABC Analysis,
First-In First-Out (FIFO), Stock Review, or another
proven methodology.
6. People who trained to follow these policies and
processes.

Telepharmacy

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