Sheba Performs Clinical Trials to Test this High-Tech Solution
It is a medical fact – prescription errors occur, ranging from typos to the wrong doses to an unsuitable patient. Regardless of the reasons or type of error, prescription mistakes can lead to tragedy. However, innocent mistakes are only a small part of a much larger problem.
In the big picture, a patient’s clinical status is not static; it can change over time and throughout the course of treatment. When this occurs, a previously safe drug may suddenly pose serious danger. Adverse drug effects (ADES) can appear, and they are often misdiagnosed or detected too late. The patient is thereby exposed to potential harm.
Recognizing that clinical status is not a fixed reality, MedAware developed an artificial intelligence (AI) based technology that studies the prescribing patterns of the doctor, medical facility, and patient. It generates models of normal prescribing patterns to find the potentially hazardous prescriptions that could lead to ADES. To design this system, MedAware called upon financial technology used to monitor for unusual patterns in credit card purchases. Instead of applying this tech to keep your wallet safe, MedAware is implementing it to keep your body safe.
MedAware’s technology taps into the physician’s workflow via their electronic medical records(EMR), the digital versions of comprehensive patient information. This enables errors to be identified in a timely manner, before the patient falls into a medical danger zone. When a mistake is found or when the patient’s clinical record changes, MedAware alerts the physician directly. The notifications are displayed within the physician’s workflow and the EMR user interface. Consequently, the prescriber can take action to prevent a possible ADE immediately.
Sheba Medical Center recently published the results of their live clinical implementation of MedAware. 80% of the time, the notifications were shown to be on target and transmitted on time to prevent danger to the patients’ health.
