Chieh-Yu Liao1, Ming-Fen Wu1, Sek-Kwong Poon2, Ying-Mei Liu1, Hsiu-Chu Chen1, Chieh-Liang Wu3, Wayne H-H Sheu4, Wen-Shyong Liou5. 1. Department of Pharmacy, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. 2. Department of Clinical Informatics Research and Development, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. 3. Center for Quality Management, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. 4. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Medical Technology, National Chung- Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan. 5. Department of Pharmacy, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: wlschna.liou@gmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To develop and implement an integrated cloud technology with the aim of ensuring medication reconciliation during transitions of care and improve medication safety in aged societies. METHODS: PharmaCloud is a new technical platform adopted by the National Health Insurance Administration of Taiwan to collect patients' medication information via cloud technology. Using this platform, healthcare providers can access patients' medication-related information with patient consent. Our hospital applied this technology and developed several approaches to collect and detect medication-related information and alert physicians for the purpose of enhancing patients' medication safety. In addition, pharmacists were involved in the admission process to access medication data and provide optimal suggestions to physicians. Several indicators, including a reduction in the number of drug items in each prescription and medication expenditure, were employed to evaluate the overall effects of the cloud inquiry. RESULTS: After the application of PharmaCloud, the average number of prescribed drug items significantly decreased (change of 0.04 to -0.35 per prescription, p < 0.05), and the median medication expenditure significantly decreased by an average of 3.55 USD, (p < 0.05) per prescription. Intra-hospital medication duplication rates also showed a downward trend. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the cloud technology and value-added applications significantly improved patient medication safety. Further long-term beneficial effects in terms of medication safety and medical cost savings are expected.
OBJECTIVES: To develop and implement an integrated cloud technology with the aim of ensuring medication reconciliation during transitions of care and improve medication safety in aged societies. METHODS: PharmaCloud is a new technical platform adopted by the National Health Insurance Administration of Taiwan to collect patients' medication information via cloud technology. Using this platform, healthcare providers can access patients' medication-related information with patient consent. Our hospital applied this technology and developed several approaches to collect and detect medication-related information and alert physicians for the purpose of enhancing patients' medication safety. In addition, pharmacists were involved in the admission process to access medication data and provide optimal suggestions to physicians. Several indicators, including a reduction in the number of drug items in each prescription and medication expenditure, were employed to evaluate the overall effects of the cloud inquiry. RESULTS: After the application of PharmaCloud, the average number of prescribed drug items significantly decreased (change of 0.04 to -0.35 per prescription, p < 0.05), and the median medication expenditure significantly decreased by an average of 3.55 USD, (p < 0.05) per prescription. Intra-hospital medication duplication rates also showed a downward trend. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the cloud technology and value-added applications significantly improved patient medication safety. Further long-term beneficial effects in terms of medication safety and medical cost savings are expected.
Authors: Ni-Hu Tang; Shang-Feng Tsai; Jaw-Horng Liou; Yuan-Hui Lai; Shih-An Liu; Wayne Huey-Herng Sheu; Chieh Liang Wu Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-11-29 Impact factor: 3.390