Automatically assessing drug interactions while protecting patient privacy

• US 8,229,765 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Choi, Christopher Y., Hockings, Christopher J., Readshaw, Neil I.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHONGSVIRAJATI, POONSIN
• Application Number:
  US12/428,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A drug interaction utility can retrieve the patient'"'"'s current medications from a medication information card on the smart card by interacting with an identity selector on the provider'"'"'s computer. The identity selector can transmit the current medications to the drug interaction utility without disclosing any information about the current medications to the provider and without disclosing any information identifying the patient to the drug interaction utility.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatically assessing drug interactions while protecting patient privacy, the computer implemented method comprising:

detecting, by a computer, a request to analyze drug interactions among a proposed medication and a plurality of current medications of a patient;

requesting, by the computer, a medication information card from an identity selector to cause the identity selector to retrieve the medication information card from a portable electronic device that stores the medication information card in a storage device, wherein the medication information card stores data about the plurality of current medications of the patient, and wherein the medication information card is one of a plurality of medication information cards of the patient stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device that represent multiple identities of the patient;

receiving, by the computer, the medication information card from the identity selector;

determining, by the computer, the plurality of current medications from the medication information card;

searching, by the computer, a drug interaction database for interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that there are interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that information about the plurality of current medications is not to be disclosed;

displaying, by the computer, an indication that there are interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications while preserving confidentiality of the plurality of current medications;

suggesting, by the computer, an alternative to the proposed medication based on the interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

deleting, by the computer, a medication from the plurality of current medications of the patient based on an expiration date associated with the medication to form a deleted medication; and

archiving, by the computer, the deleted medication in the medication information card stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device that stores the medication information card of the patient comprises one of a smart card, a portable storage device, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a second request, to analyze drug interactions among a second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications of the patient;

searching, by the computer, the drug interaction database for interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that there are interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that information about the plurality of current medications is to be disclosed; and

displaying, by the computer, the interactions along with information about one or more of the plurality of current medications that interacts with the second proposed medication.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a second request to analyze drug interactions among a second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications of the patient;

searching, by the computer, the drug interaction database for interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that there are no interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications; and

displaying, by the computer, a second indication that there are no interactions.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a request to add a new medication to the plurality of current medications of the patient;

determining, by the computer, that the new medication is to be added to the plurality of current medications; and

instructing, by the computer, the identity selector to write the new medication to the plurality of current medications.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identity selector retrieves the medication information card from the plurality of medication information cards representing the multiple identities of the patient stored in the portable electronic device based on profile information of the patient.

7. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer usable program code embodied thereon that is executable by a computer to perform a method for automatically assessing drug interactions while protecting patient privacy, comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a request, to analyze drug interactions among a proposed medication and a plurality of current medications of a patient;

requesting, by the computer, a medication information card from an identity selector to cause the identity selector to retrieve the medication information card from a portable electronic device that stores the medication information card in a storage device, wherein the medication information card stores data about the plurality of current medications of the patient, and wherein the medication information card is one of a plurality of medication information cards of the patient stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device that represent multiple identities of the patient;

receiving, by the computer, the medication information card from the identity selector;

determining, by the computer, the plurality of current medications from the medication information card;

searching, by the computer, a drug interaction database for interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that there are interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that information about the plurality of current medications is not to be disclosed;

displaying, by the computer, an indication that there are interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications while preserving confidentiality of the plurality of current medications;

suggesting, by the computer, an alternative to the proposed medication based on the interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

deleting, by the computer, a medication from the plurality of current medications of the patient based on an expiration date associated with the medication to form a deleted medication; and

archiving, by the computer, the deleted medication in the medication information card stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the portable electronic device that stores the medication information card of the patient comprises one of a smart card, a portable storage device, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, the method further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a second request, to analyze drug interactions among a second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications of the patient;

searching, by the computer, the drug interaction database for interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that there are interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that information about the plurality of current medications is to be disclosed; and

displaying, by the computer, the interactions along with information about one or more of the plurality of current medications that interacts with the second proposed medication.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, the method further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a second request to analyze drug interactions among a second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications of the patient;

searching, by the computer, the drug interaction database for interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determining, by the computer, that there are no interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications; and

displaying, by the computer, a second indication that there are no interactions.

11. The computer program product of claim 7 the method further comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a request to add a new medication to the plurality of current medications of the patient;

determining, by the computer, that the new medication is to be added to the plurality of current medications; and

instructing, by the computer, the identity selector to write the new medication to the plurality of current medications.

12. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer usable program code embodied thereon that is executable by a computer to perform a method for automatically assessing drug interactions while protecting patient privacy, comprising:

detecting, by the computer, a request to add a new medication to current medications of a patient;

requesting, by the computer, a medication information card from an identity selector to cause the identity selector to retrieve the medication information card from a portable electronic device that stores the medication information card in a storage device, wherein the medication information card stores data about the current medications of the patient, and wherein the medication information card is one of a plurality of medication information cards of the patient stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device that represent multiple identities of the patient;

receiving, by the computer, the medication information card from the identity selector;

determining, by the computer, the current medications from the medication information card;

searching, by the computer, a drug interaction database for interactions among the new medication and the current medications;

determining, by the computer, that there are no interactions among the new medication and the current medications;

instructing, by the computer, the identity selector to write the new medication to the current medications;

deleting, by the computer, a medication from the current medications of the patient based on an expiration date associated with the medication to form a deleted medication; and

archiving, by the computer, the deleted medication in the medication information card stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device.

13. A computer system for automatically assessing drug interactions while protecting patient privacy, the computer system comprising:

a set of one or more processing units;

a network interface; and

a storage device having computer usable program code embodied thereon that is executable by the set of one or more processing units to;

detect a request, to analyze drug interactions among a proposed medication and a plurality of current medications of a patient;

request a medication information card from an identity selector to cause the identity selector to retrieve the medication information card from a portable electronic device that stores the medication information card in a storage device, wherein the medication information card stores data about the plurality of current medications of the patient, and wherein the medication information card is one of a plurality of medication information cards of the patient stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device that represent multiple identities of the patient;

receive the medication information card from the identity selector;

determine the plurality of current medications from the medication information card;

search a drug interaction database for interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determine that there are interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determine that information about the plurality of current medications is not to be disclosed;

display, an indication that there are interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications while preserving confidentiality of the plurality of current medications;

suggest an alternative to the proposed medication based on the interactions among the proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

delete a medication from the plurality of current medications of the patient based on an expiration date associated with the medication to form a deleted medication; and

archive the deleted medication in the medication information card stored in the storage device of the portable electronic device.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the portable electronic device that stores the medication information card of the patient comprises one of a smart card, a portable storage device, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the set of one or more processing units further executes the computer usable program code to:

detect a second request to analyze drug interactions among a second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications of the patient;

search the drug interaction database for interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determine that there are interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determine that information about the plurality of current medications is to be disclosed; and

display the interactions along with information about one or more of the plurality of current medications that interacts with the second proposed medication.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the set of one or more processing units further executes the computer usable program code to:

detect a second request, to analyze drug interactions among a second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications of the patient;

search the drug interaction database for interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications;

determine that there are no interactions among the second proposed medication and the plurality of current medications; and

display a second indication that there are no interactions.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the set of one or more processing units further executes the computer usable program code to:

detect a request to add a new medication to the plurality of current medications of the patient;

determine that the new medication is be added to the plurality of current medications; and

instruct the identity selector to write the new medication to the plurality of current medications.