Software Implementation of a Computerized Drug Information Management System

1.1 Introduction

Computerization is defined as the control of processes by computers and its peripherals. Today it would be difficult to think of any process, business or action that could not have profited from the numerous benefits of the computer system. Controlling process or devices with computer started long ago since the invention of computer. In the 20th century inventors tried to make processes easier with the use of computers. Secondly computerization has been greatly applied or used in controlling process that requires frequent action such as drug procurement, drug management, drug tracking and drug distributions in hospital management information system in pharmacy departments of hospitals. Drug information system reduces the need to call doctors with questions about hand-written prescriptions. DIMS supports storage and retrieval of patient prescription and medication information, and may provide application services supporting dispensing activities such as drug-usage evaluation.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Drug Information Management System is a system that provides drugs data for the doctors and pharmacists to be referred. The drug data include the drug categories, trade name, generic name, manufactured company, drug contents, indications, dosage, contradiction, special precaution, drug adverse reaction and drug interaction. All these data are useful for doctors and pharmacists. Doctors and pharmacist in the hospital nowadays still referred the drug data in manual approach. Based on the problems that occur while using books as a drug references by doctors and pharmacists, the main factor has been detected that contribute the problems. The main factor is that, there is no electronic system for drug references that can be viewed by doctors and pharmacists. And if any updates for the latest drug data must be made, there is no faster way to update it so that the doctors and pharmacist can only refer to the up to date drug data as their references. This Drug Information Management System is useful for the alternative therapy recommendation for patients. it aid to avoid drug toxicity based on the drug contents and the expired date, provide list of poison drugs and educate the patients who are not in the medical field about the drug references to increase their caution about the specific drug especially for the patient with chronic diseases. It also provides instruction for the drug dosage that have to be taken for adult and children.

Online Drug Information Management System of World Health Organization shows various drugs that one can purchase. It records the available drugs, the sold drugs and the money collected from the sold drug. It involves database programming to keep track of the event of the system. The program is also implemented using Visual basic program.

Drug Information Management System (DIMS) supports the storage and retrieval of patient prescription and medication information, and may provide application services supporting dispensing activities, such as drug usage evaluation. These are information found in the Drug Information Management System; we have therapeutics, pharmacological information, prescribing information, dosage, side effects, indication, and contradiction.

In this part of the world people are in the habit of taking drugs arbitrarily without minding the pharmacological effect, without thinking about the side effect, without self medication. Some of this has led to permanent disabilities.

A lot of people have been suffering as a result of ignorance because they take drugs without knowing the side effect of the drug. People have died because of ignorance of taking wrong drugs at the wrong time. Drug Information Management System gives details about the drugs and the side effect of any drugs, so that any drugs been given to a patient he/she will know whether the drugs is reacting in their body system or not. The effect of this is the abuse of drugs which weakened immune system, increasing the risk of illness and infection. It also led to death and abdominal pain which can lead to changes in appetite and weight loss.

It is against the background that the developments of this software to enable people have access to drug related information, so the software users should not give false information that is out of the software deeds. This research work is based on providing adequate information about drugs. At the end of this project, the drug information software will be able to provide adequate information about drugs.

The Disclaimer alert of the Drug Information Management System is beyond under aged or unqualified personnel using the software for his/her personal health advantage. Ensure to read and ask qualified expert about any statement or fact that is not familiar or known to you, otherwise this software would not be held in contempt for any negative reason that is not within the scope of study.

1.3 Statement of Problem

Investigation by this study reveals the following challenges:

1. A lot of people indulge in self medication without knowing the side effects of the drugs.
2. A lot of people have died as a result of ignorance from abuse of drugs.
3. A lot of degeneration of health has been traced to administration of drugs.
4. Information about drugs are not readily accessible because most of them are in hardcopy.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to design system that will provide adequate information about drug. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to design and develop an application software that will:

1. Provide adequate information about drugs.
2. Provide across the counter drugs information about the side effect of drugs, the dosage as well as coutra-indications to take specific drug.
3. Educate doctor and pharmacist by giving them accurate information about newly produced drugs.

1.5 Significance of Study

This system when completed and implemented it will help provide adequate information about most commonly used drugs. This project will be beneficial to individuals such as students, pharmacist and drug prescribers by providing accurate and complete information about each drug or medicine before self medication takes place. Besides, the study will serve as reference material for subsequent researcher in the field or related topics.

1.6 Scope of the study

This research work will concentrate on Drug Information Management System using World Health Organization (WHO) in Enugu as a case study. The proposed system developed will only provide information like drug usage, drug age bracket, time of drug intake, as well as the caution (that is, exposure of drug to non adult is not allow) and advice.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

1.8 Definition of Terms

Drug: A drug is any substance (with the exception of food and water) which, when taken into the body, alters the body's function either physically and/or psychologically. Drugs may be legal (e.g. alcohol, caffeine and tobacco) or illegal (e.g. cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin).

Medication: A medication is a substance that is taken into or placed on the body that does one of the following things: most medications are used to cure disease or condition. (For example, antibiotics are given to cure an infection. Medications are also given to treat a medical condition).

Prescription: A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other qualified health care practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient. 

Symptom: A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is apparent to a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state or of a disease. (For example: tiredness, cough or fever).

Administration: An administration is the act of giving a drug to somebody or a patient.(for example the administration of antibiotics)

Information: Am information is used to tell someone that they are wrong about something.

Therapeutics: The branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease.

Dosage: This is an amount of drug taken regularly over a particular period of time.