The Pharmacy Application of the HELP System

Abstract

The pharmacy application of the HELP system serves two main functions. First, the application manages medication data for inpatients at LDS Hospital. Pharmacists and nurses enter medication scheduling data into HELP and the data automatically appear on the medication administration records (Figure 13.12) and will appear on the nurses’ computerized work planner when development of the planner is complete (see Chapter 13 for further details about the planner). Medication administration data are also entered into HELP and these data are used for billing purposes. The record of administered medications is available to other HELP decision-making programs. The second major function of the pharmacy module is a computerized medication monitoring system that automatically screens the medication scheduling data and other computerized patient data for possible adverse reactions. The program screens for drug-drug, drug-lab, drug-allergy, drug-diet, and other types of interactions. Certain alerts are displayed on the video terminal at the time of medication scheduling, whereas others are displayed in reports generated at a given time each day. The hospital pharmacists are responsible for informing the physician about the alert. The pharmacy module also provides assistance with ordering TPN and calculating appropriate aminoglycoside dosages.