Epidemiologic and Clinical Use of Pharmaceutical Profiles in an Ambulatory Care Data System

摘要

The Public Health Service Ambulatory Care Data System (ACDS) is a computerized outpatient information system which includes a complete pharmaceutical record for each patient in addition to demographic and diagnostic information, permitting its use as an epidemiologic and clinical tool to investigate a variety of parameters of drug usage. These include drug use in relation to age, sex, specific diagnoses, providers, and in different facilities or clinics. Inclusion of medications has been found to greatly enhance the value of such a system in epidemiological investigation and in assessing patterns of care.