B. Pharmacy computer systems also provide database-managed information, such as:

1. Drug usage and trends, drug databases, and pharmacy overrides
   
2. Inventory levels
   
3. Third-party audits
   
4. Formulary or prescribing trends
   
5. Drug diversion reports

C. All pharmacy computer and information systems must comply with professional standards related to data integrity, security, and confidentiality. These include, but are not limited to, appropriate policies and procedures for:

1. Restricting and reporting user access to information.
   
2. Establishing procedures for backing up and archiving patient and pharmacy data for retrieval and security.
   
3. Compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act measures for protected health information.

III. Obtaining Patient Information to Be Entered in the Patient Profile System

A. Obtaining patient information

1. At the pharmacist’s direction, technicians may need to obtain patient information from the patient/patient’s representative, prescriber, or other health professional. This information will be used to create or update the patient profile.
   
   To obtain accurate information, technicians should possess good communication skills and learn appropriate patient interviewing techniques.

B. Patient profiles may be manual or computerized records. The patient profile may include:

1. Patient information
   
   a. Ambulatory/outpatient setting
   
   (1) Patient’s name, birth date, address, telephone number, pertinent insurance reimbursement information
   
   b. Institutional/inpatient setting
   
   (1) Patient’s name, birth date, address, height, weight, identification number, room number, primary physician
   
2. Diagnosis
   
3. Desired therapeutic outcome
   
4. Medication use
   
   a. The patient’s medication history and current medication use (including nonprescription drugs) are critical to assessing the appropriateness of therapy. This information can help detect potential drug interactions, possible allergies, duplicate therapy, and other potential problems. The outpatient profile should include a chronology of medication refills.
   
5. Allergies
   
   a. The patient’s history of allergies can help predict potential allergies to similar drugs.
   
6. Adverse reactions
   
   a. The patient’s history of adverse reactions can help predict potential adverse reactions to similar drugs.
   
7. Medical history
   
   a. This includes a chronology of past and current medical conditions.
   
8. Psychosocial history
   
   a. This information can indicate potential influences on patient compliance, drug misuse, drug abuse, and other factors. In some cases, the pharmacist may need to give the patient additional instructions or counseling.
   
9. Patient characteristics/special considerations
   
   a. Some characteristics may require special attention when processing the patient’s prescriptions. Addressing these factors will help prevent potential problems (e.g., poor adherence, drug misuse). Patients with limitations may require special labeling, packaging, and auxiliary materials (e.g., instructions written in large print or in another language), or counseling by the pharmacist. Examples include:
   
      (1) Physical characteristics
   
         (a) Visual impairment
         (b) Hearing impairment
         (c) Other physical disabilities
   
      (2) Sociological characteristics
   
         (a) Foreign language
         (b) Cultural or religious beliefs
   
10. Socioeconomic history
    
11. Reimbursement mechanisms and third-party payer (prescription insurance) information
    
    a. This function includes questioning the patient/patient’s representative about the payment method, and assessing the eligibility of the patient and the prescribed product for reimbursement from the patient’s third-party payer.

C. Collecting data to monitor patient outcomes

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