The Help System in the Clinical Laboratory: Laboratory Data in Drug Monitoring and Interpretation of Drug Effects on Laboratory Tests

摘要

The automated utilization of laboratory test in a central data base decision-making system is described. A compilation of medical knowledge pertaining to adverse drug reactions and the effects of drugs on clinical laboratory tests has been developed and stored for routine monitoring of all in-patients. This knowledge base is used to report automatically when the data suggests possible adverse effects from drug therapy or drug-induced abnormalities of clinical laboratory tests. Laboratory results were responsible for 40% of the reported potential adverse drug effects; of these, 74% resulted in a modification of drug therapy. Preliminary experience with automated monitoring of drug-induced abnormalities of laboratory tests has shown that more sophisticated criteria are required to minimize false-positive decisions.