PHARMACY MANAGEMENT

INFORMATION SYSTEMS
(BP205T)
Computer Application in Pharmacy

1
Introduction

■ Information and Communication Technology plays a great

role in different fields and areas. Health case system is one
area which is also affected.
■ It is necessary to ensure a technologically appropriate,
efficient, affordable, environmentally adaptable and
consumer friendly system to benefit the health care industry.
■ For this reason, Pharmacy Management Information
System (PMIS) is being built.
 Introduction
■ PMIS basically deals with the maintenance of drugs and consumables in
the pharmacy unit.
■ The system will ensure availability of sufficient quantity of drugs
and consumable materials for the patient.
■ This will enhance the efficiency of clinical work, ease the patients
convenience and process drug prescriptions effectively.
■ The system will help removing time wasting, saving resources, allow
easy access to medicine, as well as bring on more security on the data
compared to manual based system.
Importance of PMIS

■ A good PMIS provides the necessary information to

make sound decisions in the pharmaceutical sector.
■ Effective pharmaceutical management requires policy
makers, program managers and health care providers to
monitor information related to patient adherence, drug
resistance, availability of medicines and laboratory supplies,
patient safety, product registration, product quality,
financing and program management etc.
What is PMIS?

■ The PMIS integrates pharmaceutical data

collection and the processing and presentation of
information that helps staff at all levels of a
country’s health system make evidence-based
decisions to manage pharmaceutical services.
Without PMIS: The bad data cycle
Other Synonyms

■ Pharmacy Management Information Systems are also

known as;
– Pharmacy Management Software
– Pharmacy System Software
– Pharmaceutical Management Software
 Functions of PMIS

■ An effective PMIS is able to synthesize the large volume of

data generated by pharmaceutical management operations.
■ It then processes the data into information for use in;
– planning activities
– estimating demand
– allocating resources
– monitoring and evaluating pharmaceutical management operations

Every stakeholder in the system should be able to access and

monitor their own unit.
Functions of PMIS

■ Another important
function is to improve
accountability. Much of
the recording and
reporting in a PMIS is
intended to create an
audit trail for products
as they enter or leave a
pharmaceutical supply
system.
Data vs. Information in PMIS

■ For example, data from health center reveals that

3000 co-trimoxazole tablets were distributed last
month. Is this consumption level abnormal?
■ Without analysis, this question would be difficult to
answer.
■ The data must be converted to information by
comparing the 3000 tables distributed last
month with the number distributed the previous
month, say 1000.
■ The management is able to analyze the
complete context and make decisions.
More Functions…

■ Some of the activities which PMIS have been employed:

– Clinical Screening: The Pharmacy Information System

can assist in patient care by the monitoring of drug
interactions, drug allergies and other possible
medication-related complications.
– Any issues relating to the appropriate dosage and the
patient’s age, weight and other physiologic factors are
tracked. Alerts and flags come up when the system
picks up any of these.
More Functions…

■ Prescription Management: The PMIS can also be use to

manage prescription for inpatients and/or outpatients.
■ When prescription orders are received, the orders are
matched to available pharmaceutical products and
then dispensed accordingly depending on whether the
patient is an inpatient or outpatient.
■ It is possible to track all prescriptions passed through
the system from who prescribed the drug, when it
was prescribed to when it was dispensed.
■ It is also possible to print out prescription labels and
instructions on how medication should be taken based
on the prescription.
Prescription Management
Scanning and Storing Prescriptions
More Functions…

■ Inventory Management: Pharmacies require a

continuous inventory culture in order to ensure that
drugs do not go out of stock. This is made even more
difficult when there are multiple dispensing points.
When done manually it is very difficult to maintain an
accurate inventory.
■ PMIS aid inventory management by maintaining an
internal inventory of all pharmaceutical products,
providing alerts when the quantity of an item is below a
set quantity and providing an electronic ordering system
that recommends the ordering of the affected item and
with the appropriate quantity from approved suppliers.
Inventory Management
Inventory Management
More Functions…
■ Report Generation: Most Pharmacy Information
Systems can generate reports which range
from determining medication usage patterns in
the hospital to the cost of drugs purchased and
/or dispensed within the given time period.
The Information System Pyramid
The Information System Pyramid

■ At the base of the pyramid are operational systems.

These include subsystems – procurement, distribution,
financial management and medicine use – that handle
data at the transactional level.

■ Every item that moves in and out of the inventory must

be tracked, and decisions must be made about how
much to supply to a health facility, when to reorder and
how to bill.
The Information System Pyramid

■ The next level of the pyramid is formed by

management information system (MIS).

■ These systems typically provide summaries of

operational data in a periodic basis to help
managers of specific departments monitor the
performance of their units.
The Information System Pyramid

■ The highest level of the information system pyramid is

the executive level.

■ At this level, the system further summarizes management

information for use in strategic planning and policy making.

■ The system generates a program-wide information on how

effective the organization is in accompanying its mission.
Meeting The Information Needs Of Users With Different
Requirements
■ Staff at every level and position use information to make
decisions that affect overall functioning of a
pharmaceutical supply system.

■ For example, the chief pharmacist may be unaware that

large quantities of a medicine are due to expire in the
warehouse. But if the pharmacist had information about the
expiration dates and could match that information with data
on the stock levels in the health facilities, medicine could be
dispatched to facilities that are running low, thereby averting
waste of money and medicines.
Information users and information needs
25
Meeting The Information Needs of Users With
Different Requirements
■ A good PMIS alerts staff to problems and triggers
critical actions at all levels.