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Wolters Kluwer Health's Drug Dosing Database Licensed for 450+ Hospitals; Database Provides Valuable Patient Safety Protection from Medical Errors
[March 06, 2006]

Wolters Kluwer Health's Drug Dosing Database Licensed for 450+ Hospitals; Database Provides Valuable Patient Safety Protection from Medical Errors


CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. --(Business Wire)-- March 6, 2006 -- Wolters Kluwer Health (WKHealth), the leading drug and health information provider, today announced that Healthcare Management System, Inc., (HMS) a Nashville-based healthcare company that provides information technology systems to more than 450 community hospitals nationwide, has licensed Medi-Span's Drug Dosing & Administration Database (DDAD)(TM).



An Institute of Medicine study showed that four out of 10 Americans and one-third of practicing physicians have been the victim of medical errors, and a Harvard Medical School study found that 20 percent of medical errors are due to incorrect drug dosing.(1),(2) "Medication dosing is a major cause of medical errors," said Orinda McIntire, Pharm.D., Medi-Span's product management director in Wolters Kluwer Health's Clinical Tools business unit.

"Dosing databases like Medi-Span's DDAD support the more precise dose-checking applications clinicians require today, preventing medical errors, reducing adverse effects and improving the quality of care every patient receives," she stated. The Drug Dosing & Administration Database heightens healthcare professionals' ability to screen drug doses by considering patient-specific, clinically relevant parameters such as age (including neonates), weight, renal function, indication and co-morbidities. This can significantly enhance patient safety.


Miscalculating drug doses - whether too high or too low a dose - can harm patients. A major review of studies on computer use in medication dosing in hospital settings found "substantial benefit results" from computer support for determining the dose of certain drugs. Overall, the study found, the computer system helped physicians tailor drug doses more accurately to individual patients, resulting in maximum benefit with the least amount of side effects.(3)

"The issue of patient safety cannot be overemphasized," said Rob Swift, Director of Clinical Products for HMS. "Our clients look to us to provide information systems that significantly enhance their ability to provide excellent patient care as well as manage administrative functions. Adding Wolters Kluwer Health's advanced drug dosing database to their existing information systems will benefit every patient and healthcare professional in these hospitals."

"HMS is proud to be deploying this leading edge technology," Swift stated. "We feel it offers significant advantages over existing databases. WKHealth has truly been a partner in this endeavor and has offered great assistance as we have programmed to the specifications of Medi-Span's Drug Dosing and Administration Database."

As a flat file database, Medi-Span's DDAD can be integrated into vendor or self-programmed systems. An application programming interface (API) is also available.

About Wolters Kluwer Health

Wolters Kluwer Health (Conshohocken, PA) is a leading provider of information for professionals and students in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. Major brands include traditional publishers of medical and drug reference tools and textbooks, such as Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and Facts & Comparisons; electronic information providers, such as Ovid Technologies, Medi-Span and ProVation Medical; and pharmaceutical information providers Adis International and Source(R).

Wolters Kluwer is a leading multinational publisher and information services company. The company's core markets are spread across the health, corporate services, finance, tax, accounting, law, regulatory and education sectors. Wolters Kluwer has annual revenues (2004) of EUR 3.3 billion, employs approximately 18,400 people worldwide and maintains operations across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its depositary receipts of shares are quoted on the Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices.

About Healthcare Management Systems

Healthcare Management Systems (Nashville, TN) provides an integrated clinical and financial hospital information system to Rural and Community hospitals, Behavioral and Rehabilitation facilities as well as Long Term Acute and Multi-Entity healthcare organizations.

HMS believes in an integrated approach to provide customers with peerless stability and effectiveness in communications and significantly increase productivity within facilities and their external agencies. Today the HMS customer base consists of more than 450 hospitals and specialty facilities stretching from Hawaii to Alaska, Florida to Maine and all points in between. Our continued commitment to growth in development, technology and quality customer service proves we are a company poised and positioned for excellence.

(1) Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS, eds. To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine; 1999.

(2) Leape LL, Brennan TA, Laird N, et al. The nature of adverse events in hospitalized patients. Results of the Harvard Medical School Practice Study II. N Eng J Med. 1991; 324: 377-384.

(3) Walton RT, Harvey E, Dovey S, Freemantle N. Computerised advice on drug dosage to improve prescribing practice. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;(1):CD002894. Review.

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