In the last 20 years, there has been an impetus in the advancement of healthcare technologies driving the emergence of integrated and shared information systems, through which data on processes and results can be obtained, and medical errors can be considerably reduced.
Various national and international organizations, such as the Institute of Medicine, Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Foundation, American Health and Research, American Medical Informatics Association, National Quality Forum, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) and the Ministry of Health and Social Policy advocate for healthcare organizations to have information systems that improve quality, cost-effectiveness and safety in patient care.
In the area of medicines, currently available technologies can be applied to the entire medicine use process, increasing efficiency, quality and safety. These are software and hardware media integrated with other patient information databases at all levels of care, applied to medicine use processes.
Pharmacist expertise in information systems for medicines use, and the close collaborative relationship between pharmacists and other health and non-health professionals in this context is a key factor in making the most appropriate selection of technologies, estimating the value and contribution of each of them in improving individual and collective health.
Pharmacists also have a fundamental role in their evaluation and applicability to the medicines utilization circuit, so as to ensure that the healthcare organization's decisions in this regard are efficient and that patient care is of the highest quality and safety.