Key Takeaways
- Improper dosages lead to adverse health effects on patients, hence medication tracking software is used to guide patients on their dosages regularly.
- Absolute contraindications of drugs cause life-threatening situations. Medication tracking software checks for contraindications, and alerts patients and doctors in case of harmful drug mixing.
- Features such as refill reminders, synchronization across platforms, and compliance assures convenient use of medication tracking software.
The total number of retail prescriptions filled annually in the USA is estimated to reach 4.98 billion by the end of 2025. With the rising number of prescriptions and a need to promote drug adherence, medication tracking software is essential.
This software helps patients to stick to their medication routine, not miss out on any dosages, and get timely refills, thus contributing to comprehensive medication management. Let’s understand more about the medication tracking software.
Benefits of Medication Tracking Software
1. Guidance on Dosage
Incorrect dosage or medication can harm the health of patients. If patients aren’t aware of the correct dosages, then it can lead to organ damage, allergic reactions caused by an overdose, stroke, infection, heart failure, or even death. Hence, all healthcare providers must guide their patients on dosages for all medications.
In the case of chronic conditions, patients must be advised on the correct intake of medicines. Failure to do so can result in the acceleration of chronic conditions or other incurable diseases. Medication tracking software helps patients to intake correct dosages.
After acquiring medications from the pharmacists, patients can input the correct dosage in the medication tracker system. Since the medication trackers are linked to the physicians’ servers, they can check whether patients are taking the right dosage or not. The digital tracker knows when, how often, how much, and in what format a medication is given to a patient.
Integration of e-prescription software also helps physicians and pharmacists to provide correct guidance of dosages. Since, they’re aware of patients’ past and current prescriptions, they can easily assist them Also, providers can check for incorrect medications or errors in prescription via the e-prescription software integration.
2. Alerts on Contraindications
A contraindication is a situation in which a procedure, drug, or surgery shouldn’t be used as it may be harmful to the patient. Some treatments cause dangerous or unwanted reactions such as allergies, high blood pressure, or stroke. For instance, a patient who takes warfarin to thin the blood must not intake aspirin, which is also a blood thinner.
Moreover, absolute contraindications of drugs lead to life-threatening situations. Medication tracking software checks for contraindications, and alerts patients and doctors in case of harmful drug mixing. This is useful for OTC supplements or drugs as well. A medication tracker provides guidance on which drugs can be taken together.
3. Convenient
The top reason for medication non-adherence is forgetfulness, followed by procrastination on refills. Medication non-adherence is the 6th most common cause of premature death in the USA. Medication tracking software is the key to improving medication adherence because of its ease of use and convenience.
Patients who are bedridden, forgetful, or procrastinate on refills can easily get their medicines home delivered via medication tracking software. They no longer have to head to a pharmacy to pick up medicines or worry about running out of doses.
Further, reminders help to manage refills and update prescriptions. Medication trackers are useful for caregivers, as they can conveniently order medicines when needed.
Key Features of Medication Tracking Software
1. Compliance
Medication tracking software is protected with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance. Stringent rules of HIPAA safeguard the valuable ePHI (Protected Health Information) of patients.
Data is exchanged safely between patients, doctors, and pharmacists. Encryption, firewalls, and physical safety measures are undertaken to guard vital ePHI.
Failure to implement HIPAA compliance leads to penalties and charges ($50,000 and up to 1-year imprisonment). Healthcare software developers must ensure that their medication tracking software is compliant and adheres to all HIPAA rules.
2. Refill Reminder
Medication tracking software with built-in prescription reminders allows patients to know when their drugs are running out. They can ask for a refill online or pick it up from the nearest pharmacy when alerted.
Patients can avoid missed dosages through timely refill reminders. It takes the pressure off patients who otherwise need to constantly track their dosages.
3. Drug Interaction Alerts
Drug-drug interactions (DDI) are responsible for adverse reactions in patients and are a major reason for hospitalization. The elderly population and chronic disease patients are worst affected by DDI. The medication tracking system sends alerts for drugs that potentially interact with patients’ dosage regimes.
Drug interaction alerts are necessary for patients who have allergies, adverse health conditions, or take multiple medications. In case there’s a possibility of negative interaction, the patients and doctors are immediately alerted. Thus, preventing harmful impacts from drugs.
4. Data Sharing
This feature allows healthcare providers, patients, and pharmacists to exchange data between them for a seamless workflow.
Medication plans, past medical history, and e-prescription data can be transferred between them. This all is conducted under HIPAA compliance guidelines and privacy is maintained for all data.
5. Synchronization Across all Platforms
Synchronization allows patients to receive and check updates from multiple connected devices such as mobiles, laptops, or tabs. Synching multiple devices allows one to interact with healthcare providers via video, audio, or chats.
Vital information such as personal details, medical history, and prescriptions can be accessed from any device and from anywhere.
6. Digital Scheduler
A digital scheduler allows patients to fill out medication details, dosage timings, reminders, dates, and much more. They can add, delete, or edit the details as per requirements. A medication scheduler can be created by physicians as well, to ensure the safety of patients.
7. Vitals Tracker
Up-to-date information about patients’ vitals is invaluable for healthcare providers. They can take action immediately in case there’s any hindrance in vitals. This feature allows physicians to alter medications based on vitals readings.
Process of Medication Tracking Software Development
1. Planning Requirements
Before starting with the software development process, consider researching and planning the needs of the target audience. Find out market conditions, how the software will be used, what problems will it be solving, and potential users.
Understand the user persona and then proceed with the development process. Additionally, decide the budget for the development process at this stage.
2. Prototyping and Design
A prototype contains all the basic features and functionalities of the medication tracking software, which can be analyzed for errors. Based on the prototype, developers can test the product before building it.
Feedback gathered from the prototype is used to reduce the risk of product failure. This, save time and money invested in the software development process. The design phase is crucial to decide the user interface of the software. It allows users to easily navigate and utilize features at their convenience.
3. Development Phase
The goal of this stage is to translate the designs into code with the help of a suitable programming language. In this phase, the designs are implemented in the best way possible. A well-written code reduces the time invested in testing and maintenance of the software.
The clarity and simplicity of the code make it easy to understand, re-correct, and write. Ensure to develop of scalable and flexible software, so it’s optimized for changes. Include security features and comply with HIPAA regulations during the development phase.
4. Test and Launch
The medication tracking software is checked for bugs, errors, and other flaws before launching it. Once all the corrections are made, the product is launched in the market. The software is regularly maintained and updated by the developers. New software features and functionalities are added as per market demands.
If you’re looking to develop medication tracking software or any healthcare software for your facility, then get in touch with Arkenea. With over 10 years of experience in the healthcare development sector, our team of experts will provide you with cutting-edge software that suits your facility.