Information system for supporting pharmacoepidemiology activities at drug information centers in Brazil

Medicine morbidity and mortality are major health problems. It is a world consensus that the information collected during the premarketing phase of drug development is inevitably incomplete, for example, with regard to possible adverse drug reactions (ADR). Pharmacoepidemiology is the science devoted to evaluate the consequences of drug utilization by a specific population. Therefore, pharmacoepidemiology activities are of tremendous value as tools for detecting ADRs and to help ensure that patients obtain safe and efficacious products. It involves a wide range of partners including drug information centers. Both drug utilization studies and pharmacovigilance, the main activities of pharmacoepidemiology, are directly dependent of the existence of a fast, safe, accessible and efficient information system. The center for supporting rational use of drugs through drug information, one of the 22 drug information centers in Brazil, has been developing pharmacoepidemiologic studies since 1999. This job describes the development of an information system based on Internet devoted to allow the reception and analysis of adverse drug reactions´ self reports and medication errors studies by drug information centers in Brazil. SI-FVG first prototype validation demonstrated an user-friendly interface, and an easy utilization due to the clear and objective commands.