Quality of drug interaction alerts in prescribing and dispensing software

Cheong, Ian R

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02830.x

Topics

To the Editor: I was interested to read the results of Sweidan and colleagues’ study of drug interaction alerts in prescribing and dispensing software.1 I believe their use of the terms “sensitivity” and “specificity” differ from the standard definitions, which are usually:

Springwood Group General Practice, Brisbane, QLD.

Correspondence: ian.cheong@acm.org

1. Sweidan M, Reeve JF, Brien JE, et al. Quality of drug interaction alerts in prescribing and dispensing software. Med J Aust 2009; 190: 251-254. <MJA full text>
2. Riegelman RK. Studying a study and testing a test: how to read the medical evidence. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004: 158.
3. Morimoto T, Gandhi TK, Seger AC, et al. Adverse drug events and medication errors: detection and classification methods. Qual Saf Health Care 2004; 13: 306-314.
4. Bates DW, Cullen DJ, Laird N, et al. Incidence of adverse drug events and potential adverse drug events. Implications for prevention. ADE Prevention Study Group. JAMA 1995; 274: 29-34.
5. Kaushal R, Shojania KG, Bates DW. Effects of computerized physician order entry and clinical decision support systems on medication safety: a systematic review. Arch Intern Med 2003; 163: 1409-1416.
6. Kuperman GJ, Bobb A, Payne TH, et al. Medication-related clinical decision support in computerized provider order entry systems: a review. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2007; 14: 29-40.

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