“FINAL REQUIREMENT IN

PHARMACY INFORMATICS”
(LABORATORY)

SUBMITTED BY: ANGELINE KARYLLE C. MEJIA, BS-PHARMACY

SUBMITTED TO: JAY-AR S. NIEBLA, Faculty, VMUF-CICS

1. WHAT IS PHARMACY INFORMATICS?

The American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacy (ASHP) formally

defines it as “the use and integration of data, information, knowledge,

technology, and automation in the medication-use process for the

purpose of improving health outcomes.”2 In more practical terms,

pharmacy informatics is the use of electronic health data to support safe

and effective medication use. Pharmacy informatics can include various

aspects of medication management, from a drug utilization review, to the

use of barcoding technology during product dispensing, to the

development of alert systems to improve prescribing and dispensing of

medications. Pharmacy informatics involves broad collaboration between

pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physicians, nurses, information

technology personnel, and other health care professionals. As

opportunities in pharmacy informatics develop, so do the duties and

responsibilities of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians related to its

provision. Health information systems already engage pharmacists and

pharmacy technicians across a variety of health care settings, including

e-prescribing, computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE), electronic

medical records (EMRs), electronic health records (EHRs), bar code

dispensing and administration systems (BCMAs), automated dispensing

cabinets (ADCs), controlled substance or prescription drug monitoring

program (PDMP) databases, and immunization registries.

 2. WHAT ARE THE 3 COMPONENTS OF WORKING MODEL FOR

PHARMACY INFORMATICS? DEFINE EACH COMPONENT

Before we consider the role of the pharmacy technician in the field of

pharmacy informatics, it is important to first understand the variety of

technologies that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians utilize on a routine

basis within the practice of pharmacy. Such technologies are utilized to achieve

goals that may be classified into 3 general categories:

 Efficacy- quality of patient outcomes

 Efficiency- productivity of pharmacy services team

 Safety- error prevention

3. WHAT ARE THE CHANGES EXPECTED TO RESULT FROM

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIELD OF

PHARMACY?

The pharmacy industry has changed drastically over the past

decade and technological advances are a major reason why. In the past

decade alone, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of

pharmacy technology advancements as pharmacy IT becomes

increasingly central to how drugs are administered to patients. One of the

key ways in which technology has positively impacted pharmacy is by

 helping to minimize preventable medication errors and therefore,

increasing the likelihood of successful patient outcomes.

4. WHY WE SHOULD HAVE COMPASSION FOR THOSE LESS

KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY?

Technology will change healthcare over the next decade in ways

that we can only begin to imagine today. What it means to care for

patients is being transformed, along with expectations about how, where

and from whom people access the services that they need. As the pace

of change accelerates the opportunities will be tremendous, but the

journey ahead will be complex and no part of the healthcare sector will

be left untouched. Our readiness to embrace this transformation – and

our ability to translate technology opportunities into sustainable solutions

to our most pressing issues in healthcare – will be the central challenge for

practitioners, providers and policymakers alike. As patients put new

demands on the system, institutions will need to reinvent themselves and

clinicians will need to adapt to changing roles in how they care for their

patients. And with much of the momentum coming from outside

traditional healthcare players, the system will need to learn to work

alongside a new wave of health technology and consumer organizations

that are emerging to help people manage their care.

5. WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN

CHOOSING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT NEEDS IN

PHARMACY PRACTICE?

According to the Office of the National Coordinator, HIT must be

knowledgeable in the application of information processing involving

both computer hardware and software that deals with the storage,

retrieval, sharing, and use of health care information, data, and

knowledge for communication and decision making. The role of

information technology in pharmacy practice is dynamic and not likely to

lose relevance in the coming years. To some degree, pharmacists are

interested in information technology because we can envision it

increasing efficiency in our daily tasks and improving our access to vital

information. However, federal legislation is also driving adoption of Health

Information Technology (HIT) for its potential impact on patient safety.

6. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO STORE AND KEEP

IMPORTANT DATA OR INFORMATION IN USING INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH?

Practices often lack basic security policies and procedures, allow

staff members to share passwords, and fail to turn on or properly configure

 the security features of their electronic health record (EHR) systems. In

addition, many practices fail to perform security risk assessments, despite

a requirement to do so under the Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act (HIPAA). Here are some strategies that experts say can

help practices defend their protected health information (PHI) and their

businesses from cyber criminals; Do a security risk assessment, Control

system access, Don’t store data on user devices, Encrypt data, and Back

up data off site.

7. WHAT ARE THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF NETWORK/INTERNET? DEFINE

EACH CONCEPT.

 Switches

Switches are the foundation of most business networks. A switch

acts as a controller, connecting computers, printers, and servers to a

network in a building or a campus.

Switches allow devices on your network to communicate with each other,

as well as with other networks, creating a network of shared resources.

Through information sharing and resource allocation, switches save money

and increase productivity.

 Routers
 Routers connect multiple networks together. They also connect

computers on those networks to the Internet. Routers enable all

networked computers to share a single Internet connection, which saves

money. A router acts a dispatcher. It analyzes data being sent across a

network, chooses the best route for data to travel, and sends it on its way.

Routers connect your business to the world, protect information from

security threats, and can even decide which computers receive priority

over others. Beyond those basic networking functions, routers come with

additional features to make networking easier or more secure. Depending

on your needs, for example, you can choose a router with a firewall, a

virtual private network (VPN), or an Internet Protocol (IP) communications

system.

 Access points

Allows devices to connect to the wireless network without cables. A

wireless network makes it easy to bring new devices online and provides

flexible support to mobile workers.An access point acts like an amplifier for

your network. While a router provides the bandwidth, an access point

extends that bandwidth so that the network can support many devices,

and those devices can access the network from farther away.But an

access point does more than simply extend Wi-Fi. It can also give useful
 data about the devices on the network, provide proactive security, and

serve many other practical purposes.

8. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS TO CONSIDER IN

INFORMATION ASSURANCE?

 Integrity

Involves assurance that all information systems are protected and

not tampered with. IA aims to maintain integrity through means such

as anti-virus software on all computer system, and ensuring all staff

with access to know how to appropriately use their systems to

minimize malware, or viruses entering information systems.

 Availability

Simply means those who need access to information, are allowed to

access it. Information should be available to only those who are

aware of the risks associated with information systems.

 Authentication

Involves ensuring those who have access to information, are who

they say they are. Ways of improving authentication involve

 methods such as two-factor authentication, strong passwords, bio-

metrics and other devices. Authentication may also be used to not

only identify users, but also other devices.

 Confidentiality

IA involves the confidentiality of information, meaning only those

with authorization may view certain data. This step is closely

mirrored by the six data processing principles of the General Data

Protection Regulation (GDPR), where by personal data must be

processed in a secure manner "using appropriate technical and

oganizational measures" ("integrity and confidentiality").

 Nonrepudiation

The final pillar simply means someone with access to your

organizations information system cannot deny having completed an

action within the system, as there should be methods in place to

prove that they did make said action.

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5990205/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5990205/
3. https://www.healthcareis.com/blog/three-ways-technology-has-

changed-pharmacy

4. http://www.ams-inc.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Compassion-in-

a-Tech-World.pdf

5. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/the-role-of-information-

technology-in-advancing-pharmacy-practice-models-to-improve-

6patient-safety

6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22862/

7. https://www.cisco.com/c/en_sg/solutions/small-business/resource-

center/networking/networking-basics.html

8. https://www.itgovernanceusa.com/information/information-assurance