Drug vocabulary - Australia A national drug vocabulary (database) –goal to cover all sectors (manufacturer-mouth-academic/funder/policy) –primary care first (GP-Pharmacy) –not a knowledge base A national drug terminology –includes relationships (terminology (not =) database –required for higher level functions eg decision support

Update on Drug Vocabulary/Terminology/Coding in Australia Dr. Peter MacIsaac Department of Health and Ageing Australia

Additions EAN/UPC as the national drug identifier EANnet as the national data distribution system Pharmaceutical industry - responsible for data entry (following initial setup - Gov funded) Gov. responsible for quality control

International Approach All of us have some key common issues All of us have local needs/issues A remarkably common approach has emerged Australian model very consistent with UK work presented earlier by Julie James

Where are we Agreed data structure EAN governance (numbers cant be reused or retired) Database complete for 3500 generic drugs (7000 products) - our PBS, DVA, Drugs Dependence Industry trial to validate database Development of governance structure (Medicines Coding Council Australia)

Where are we not! How to expand to cover all clinical drugs How to expand to move from drug database to a terminology Engagement with all the pharm industry (need understanding, will, commercial process re-engineering) Quality control system Modification of existing systems to use EAN and new database structure

What is needed to make this work? Leadership and vision expressed by “champions” Ability to deliver on the technical solution - terminology expertise Collaboration of Government agencies (who are only group able to fund this work) Ability to sell this to government “superiors” (managing upwards) Ability to sell vision to participants (managing sideways and downwords) Striking while the “iron is hot” when there is the political will and resources (eg patient safety, introduction of electronic records etc)