Drug prescribing in patients with renal impairment optimized by a computer-based, semi-automated system.

Background: According to several studies, despite of the existence of several published guidelines for dosing adjustments based on renal function, inappropriate prescribing is a common drug-related problem in inpatient care.

Objective: We developed and implemented a system for drug dosage adjustment integrated into the Hospital computer provider order entry system. This system allows pharmacists to identify patients with reduced renal function, identify medication orders that may require dosage modifications based on renal function, and generate an alert with a recommendation of specific dosage adjustment.