Are we setting about improving the safety of computerised prescribing in the right way? A workshop report.

Background: Prescribing errors are common and costly. Technology should enable safer prescribing. The two main current methods of doing so are computer initiated clinical support software (CDSS) and the user initiated information retrieval (IR) systems.

INRstar: computerised decision support software for anticoagulation management in primary care.

Computerised decision support software (CDSS) for anticoagulation management has become established practice in the UK, offering significant advantages for patients and clinicians over traditional methods of dose calculation. The New GMS Contract has been partly responsible for this shift of management from secondary to primary care, in which INRstar has been the market leader for many years. In September 2004, INRstar received the John Perry Prize, awarded by the PHCSG for excellence and innovation in medical applications of information technology.