Increasing medication safety through digital drug reference

06.06.2023 11:18

Dr. Claudia Mildner is a clinical pharmacist, holds a degree in pharmacy business administration (WDA), and is the president of the German Pharmaceutical Information Congress. She sees evidence-based information as a significant contribution to drug therapy and thus to patient safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of treatment. Modern technology provides important support in this regard.

Since 2018, Dr. Mildner has chaired the Drug Information Committee of the Federal Association of German Hospital Pharmacists (ADKA). In her daily work, she is responsible for the Drug Information Unit at the pharmacy of the University Medical Center Mainz. The digital medication management tool Lexicomp is used in her daily practice.

"The Hospital Future Act (KHZG) stipulates that hospital pharmacists are required to validate prescriptions, thus contributing to safety," explains Mildner. "For this validation, we need up-to-date, reliable information quickly." Compared to analogue offerings for knowledge-based decision-making – often outdated and difficult to access – digital tools are clearly preferable, the expert emphasizes. "Lexicomp, in particular, has established itself as a comprehensive compendium of prescription and over-the-counter medications."

The digital drug reference provides easy and convenient access to things like drug interaction testing and information on side effects. "This allows us to quickly determine, for example, whether a planned medication can be used at all in pregnant women," says Dr. Mildner. Another area of application is providing advice to physicians and nurses, especially in more complex cases. Since ward pharmacists now also conduct medical histories, the Lexi-Interact component is extremely welcome for supporting the workplace system. Medication preparation—with a focus on Trissel's—and discharge medication are also areas of frequent use.

Of the approximately 20 databases and features in Lexicomp, Interact, Drug Comparison for preparing for drug committee meetings, Trissel's, and Briggs are preferred. The pharmacist explains the breadth of access: "When checking the potential for side effects, hits for the respective drug are found in the various databases." As an illustrative example, she describes a patient with more than 20 medications; the question arose as to which of these caused flatulence and with what frequency. Dr. Mildner: "Lexicomp quickly provided the appropriate answer with a simple, structured search."

Valid, trustworthy evidence thanks to a competent editorial team: This is the essential prerequisite for a drug information system, emphasizes Dr. Mildner. All entries must include a reference link so users can understand the statements. UpToDate is based on a similarly rigorous editorial process. This system for supporting clinical decision-making has long been established in German university clinics and hospitals. In conjunction with Lexicomp, clinical and medication-specific decision-making can be consolidated along the patient journey.

The hospital pharmacist’s conclusion is: The digital drug reference Lexicomp helps to accelerate and increase the precision in therapy determination, to avoid
Medication errors and improved patient safety are also important. Also worth mentioning are improvements in treatment quality and cost reduction through correct decision-making.