What, if all alerts were specific - estimating the potential impact on drug interaction alert burden.

Purpose: Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) may potentially improve prescribing quality, but are subject to poor user acceptance. Reasons for alert overriding have been identified and counterstrategies have been suggested; however, poor alert specificity, a prominent reason of alert overriding, has not been well addressed. This paper aims at structuring modulators that determine alert specificity and estimating their quantitative impact on alert burden.

Development of a standardized knowledge base to generate individualized medication plans automatically with drug administration recommendations.

Aims: We aimed to develop a generic knowledge base with drug administration recommendations which allows the generation of a dynamic and comprehensive medication plan and to evaluate its comprehensibility and potential benefit in a qualitative pilot study with patients and physicians.

Methods: Based on a literature search and previously published medication plans, a prototype was developed and iteratively refined through qualitative evaluation (interviews with patients and focus group discussions with physicians). To develop the recommendations for safe administration of specific drugs we screened the summary of product characteristics (SmPC) of different exemplary brands, allocated the generated advice to groups with brands potentially requiring the same advice, and reviewed these allocations regarding applicability and appropriateness of the recommendations.

Development and evaluation of a computerised clinical decision support system for switching drugs at the interface between primary and tertiary care.

Background: Upon admission to a hospital patients' medications are frequently switched to alternative drugs compiled in so called hospital drug formularies. This substitution process is a laborious and error-prone task which should be supported by sophisticated electronic tools. We developed a computerised decision support system and evaluated benefit and potential harm associated with its use.

Difficulties swallowing solid oral dosage forms in a general practice population: prevalence, causes, and relationship to dosage forms.

Purpose: We assessed the prevalence of difficulties in swallowing solid oral dosage forms in a general practice population. Reasons, nature, and characteristics of tablets and capsules causing such difficulties were investigated as well as general practitioners' (GP) awareness of these difficulties.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 11 general practices and consecutive patients taking at least one solid oral dosage form for ≥4 weeks were invited to respond to a questionnaire at the practices and one at home.

[HeiCare®: a project aiming to improve medication communication across health care sectors].

Background And Objective: Changes between health care sectors represent a critical phase in long-term pharmacotherapy. The aim of the Hei CARE(®) project was to close the communication gap at the interface between primary care physicians (PCP), hospital physicians and patients, and to improve quality and safety of pharmacotherapy.

Methods: Physicians who enrolled patients with long-term pharmacotherapy were able to participate in the Hei CARE(®) project.