Healthc Inform Res.  2011 Dec;17(4):267-275. 10.4258/hir.2011.17.4.267.

The Development of a Korean Drug Dosing Database

• Kim SA
• Kim JH
• Jang YJ
• Jeon MH
• Hwang JU
• Jeong YM
• Choi KS
• Lee IH
• Jeon JO
• Lee ES
• Lee EK
• Kim HB
• Chin HJ
• Ha JH
• Kim YH
• Lee BK

• KMID: 2284554
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2011.17.4.267

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This report describes the development process of a drug dosing database for ethical drugs approved by the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA). The goal of this study was to develop a computerized system that supports physicians' prescribing decisions, particularly in regards to medication dosing.
METHODS
The advisory committee, comprised of doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, pharmacists familiar with drug databases, KFDA officials, and software developers from the BIT Computer Co. Ltd. analyzed approved KFDA drug dosing information, defined the fields and properties of the information structure, and designed a management program used to enter dosing information. The management program was developed using a web based system that allows multiple researchers to input drug dosing information in an organized manner. The whole process was improved by adding additional input fields and eliminating the unnecessary existing fields used when the dosing information was entered, resulting in an improved field structure.
RESULTS
A total of 16,994 drugs sold in the Korean market in July 2009, excluding the exclusion criteria (e.g., radioactivity drugs, X-ray contrast medium), usage and dosing information were made into a database.
CONCLUSIONS
The drug dosing database was successfully developed and the dosing information for new drugs can be continually maintained through the management mode. This database will be used to develop the drug utilization review standards and to provide appropriate dosing information.

Keyword

Dosing; Decision Support Systems; Drug Utilization Review

MeSH Terms

Advisory Committees
Databases, Pharmaceutical
Drug Utilization Review
Humans
Isothiocyanates
Korea
Pharmacists
Radioactivity
Isothiocyanates

Figure

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  Figure 1 A client-server architecture in a drug utilization review (DUR) data manage system. DUR data manage system is constructed by connecting a database (DB) server to web server in which a manager program is built, for the purpose of facilitating multiple user's inputting and centralized managing DUR data. This client-server system enables multiple users input and manage data effectively rather than stand alone systems or files.

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  Figure 2 Diagram of the relationship among dosing information tables. A dosing information table is a kind of database (DB) blueprint by which workers decide what information should be extracted from usage and dosage and then how it is processed. We made an effort to make the DB useful for dosing check-up substantially without distorting any meaning of original usage and dosage in a DB making process. Further continuous improvement in DB structure is needed.

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  Figure 3 Drug utilization review (DUR) manager home 1. DUR manager home supports diverse options search for DUR data. It also enables operators to manage "my work list" and "whole workers' work list".

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  Figure 4 Drug utilization review manager home 2. It shows the searched sum-up information on work-list data and searched results. And it also displays a current inputting work status on DUR data. Product's name and other list information are written in Korean becasue our Database was targetted to drugs saled in Kore.

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  Figure 5 Drug utilization review manager home 3. This picture shows the "input mode on a case basis" for entering detailed information on a specific drug. It supports a quick move to diverse input categories. Separating numerical values and unit values in the beginning of data input made workers possible to enter the same unit values consistently and check up the dosing data instantly.

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  Figure 6 An Excel spreadsheet of dosing information from the established database. Inputted data can be printed in an Excel sheet form. And it also can be converted in any forms (easy to understand and handy to manage) by analyzing an enormous amount of inputted information via Visual Basic for Application program developed to process a data. DUR contents are written in Korean, because we analyzed contents based on Korean Food and Drug Administration's drug label infomation.

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  Figure 7 An Visual Basic for Application (VBA) example of Quick Dosage Check in an exported drug utilization review (DUR) data. VBA code can enhance utilization of DUR data exported in the excel sheet form. It can process data, and also check dosage data in an excel environment. VBA code makes specific data possible to be converted into a variety of media (HTML, MDB, TXT, JAVASCRIPT, etc.) and to be modified into a lot of forms. VBA code helps managers to makes the better use of DUR data.

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  Figure 8 Examples of redundancy. One can find many occasions in which the same or similar expressions (in the label) slightly differ in numerical values or unit values when inputting dosage information on a case basis. This situation is defined as redundancy of drug utilization review (DUR) information. In any circumstances, the same results should be come out by processing regardless of the kind of values. This manager program has a unit conversion function by which unit information is separated and inputted independently.

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