An Introduction to Pharmacy Informatics

The pharmacy manager at Novant Health in North Carolina, Ryan Mills has been working as a pharmacist for the past several years. One of the few pharmacists in the U.S. with a PharmD and dual master’s degrees in health administration and business administration, Ryan Mills serves on the Pfeiffer Alumni Board of Directors and was asked to present on informatics during the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) 2018 Midyear Clinical Meeting.

One of the newest specialties in pharmacy is that of pharmacy informatics. This scientific field deals with the storage, acquisition, and use of data and information relating to medication. It is often used alongside electronic health records (EHR) and is capable of replacing traditional pen-and-paper prescriptions with digital ones. In addition, pharmacy informatics tracks information about such things as patient demographics, number of prescriptions filled, and average fulfillment time.

This implementation of technology in the pharmacy business benefits patients in several ways. Automated prescription machines streamline the prescription-filling process so that it’s faster and easier for patients to deal with. Further, the digital nature of these prescriptions eliminates mistakes and misunderstandings, since there is no risk of illegible handwritten prescriptions being misread by pharmacy technicians.

Since there is a clear record of the prescriptions patients are getting, pharmacies can also prepare better counseling options for them. This means patients are more informed about the medications they are taking and better prepared to avoid complications that may result from mixing prescriptions. It also boosts collaboration between pharmacies and physicians, since each professional has faster, more secure access to patient records.

Ryan Mills | Pharmacist

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