Automated Methodology Helps Identify Drug Side Effects

Automated Methodology Helps Identify Drug Side Effects

Consider the health care benefits of a system that could alert medical and dental professionals about the potential side effects of all pharmaceutical drugs. A software program being developed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Biomedical Informatics may soon provide this very capability. According to Trevor Cohen, MBChB, PhD, the project’s principal investigator, the automated methodology is designed to minimize illness and prevent death due to adverse side effects that may not have been revealed during the drug’s clinical trial period.

The software works by pulling data from electronic health records and biomedical literature to determine plausible drug events. Cohen and his team are hopeful that this automated methodology will supersede the current way side effects are noted—through a reporting system managed by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

It’s anticipated that the availability, accuracy, and accessibility of these data will assist the health care community in detecting the negative side effects of prescription drugs before the use of these medications becomes more prevalent—potentially saving lives in the process.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

November 2013