A comprehensive pediatric drug formulary as CDROM which is updated regularly every year and containing a listing of all pediatric drugs under generic name with every available brand names; with recommended dosages for every possible pediatric illness with its toxicity and drug interactions – a much felt need as there is growing evidence that tools for computer based prescribing help pediatricians to make better and cheaper prescribing decisions - has become a reality with the launch of this prestigious project of IAP CMEG at Kolkata in January this year. It is already being used by around 2000 pediatricians all over India and has been accepted as an official publication of IAP and finds pride of place on the cover of Academy Today and the website of IAP – www.iapindia.org with link to its own website www.iapdrugformulary.com. This IAP Drug Formulary 2004 is more that just a formulary. It has IAP recommendations on every pediatric illness in the book presented system-wise and formulated by respective sub chapters of IAP. Therefore, this becomes a handy desk-top reference in the clinic, during hospital rounds and for teaching purposes.

Tools for computer based prescribing range from computerised drug formulary to decision support tools that extract data from the patients records and suggest a ranged list of suitable drugs. These more sophisticated decision support tools can improve the accuracy, appropriateness, speed and cost of prescribing. Evidence from three randomised studies showed that use of decision support tools improved the accuracy of drug dosing (1) while ward pharmacists who used decision support tools in an American hospital made better choices of which antibiotic to prescribe(2). Computer tools is associated with more legible and complete prescriptions, compared to written prescription. Access to advanced decision support tools to general practitioners make their prescribing behaviour closer to that of expert doctors because they are able to select a higher proportion of appropriate, generic and cost effective drugs.

Several new developments are taking place such as full integration with electronic patient records and providing patients with tailored leaflets to improve compliance. Once electronic signatures become legal, doctors will be able to send prescriptions electronically to a pharmacy eliminating signed print outs and speeding up follow up enquiries by pharmacists. Automated pill counters able to dispense some drugs directly could also see the light of day in the not-too-distant future(3).

The unique feature of the IAP Drug Formulary 2004 is that once the user buys a copy of the book and CD-Rom, he would be having a life long companion as updates of the IAP recommendations for drug therapy for pediatric illnesses and monographs of new drugs available for pediatric use would be available for downloading on to the users hard disc at least once every year for ever! The first time this is to happen is by early November 2005 and if this facility functions as planned, the formulary would have achieved every bit of what it had been intended for.

Jeeson C. Unni,
Editor-in Chief,
IAP Drug Formulary,
Dr. Kanhalu’s Nursing Home,
T.D. Road, Kochi 682 011, Kerala, India.
E-mail: [email protected]   

1. Johnson ME, Langton KB, Haynes PB, Matthieu D. A critical appraisal of research on the effects of computer based decision support systems on clinical performance and patient outcomes. Ann Intern Med 1994; 120: 135- 142.

2. Evans RS, ClassenDC, Pestonik SL, Lundsgaarde HP, Burke JP, Improving empiric antibiotic selection using computer decision support. Arch Intern. Med. 1994; 154: 878- 884.

3. Wyatt J, Walton R. Computer based prescribing improves decision making and reduces costs. BMJ 1995; 311: 1181-1182.