Subject(s)
Herbal Medicine/history , History of Pharmacy , Medicine, Traditional/history , Public Health/history , Hawaii , Herbal Medicine/legislation & jurisprudence , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Public Health/legislation & jurisprudence , Universities/historyABSTRACT
Pharmacy informatics is defined as the use and integration of data, information, knowledge, technology, and automation in the medication-use process for the purpose of improving health outcomes. The term "big data" has been coined and is often defined in three V's: volume, velocity, and variety. This paper describes three major areas in which pharmacy utilizes big data, including: 1) informed decision making (clinical pathways and clinical practice guidelines); 2) improved care delivery in health care settings such as hospitals and community pharmacy practice settings; and 3) quality performance measurement for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and medication management activities such as tracking medication adherence and medication reconciliation.
