Columbia Technology Ventures

Medication Reconciliation via Timeline Data Visualization

Lead Inventor: Xinxin Zhu, Ph.D. Medical Information Management Techniques Responsible for Medication Errors There is empirical evidence that inadequate summarization and communication of medical information is responsible for a considerable portion of all medication errors and adverse drug events occurring in medical facilities. This problem is exacerbated by the multiplicity of medication data sources, temporal and clinical uncertainties, the increasing amount of patient information clinicians must take into consideration over time, and time constraints within which clinicians must make medication-related decisions. Existing summarization techniques and technologies (both manual and automated) have not sufficiently mitigated this problem. Multi-Source Time-Oriented Medication Data Software System for Reducd Medication Errors This technology is a software system for abstracting and visualizing multi-source time-oriented medication data. The system is capable of aggregating and analyzing structured data and narrative notes (i.e., from clinicians) from various sources. It aims to provide a multi-dimensional timeline view of this data to clinicians so that they can generate medication summarizations more accurately and efficiently. The software also provides medication classification methods and search capabilities that account for drug synonyms and classes. Applications: • Can reduce the probability of medication errors and thereby improve patient safety (and reduce the costs of errors and inadequate treatment) in healthcare institutions. • Can help identify specific issues pertaining to a patient's medication that should be addressed to improve treatment. Advantages: • In contrast to existing applications, the system can integrate and visually represent both structured and free-text medication data in a manner that takes time, drug classes, and data sources all into consideration. Patent Status: Software / Copyright Licensing Status: Available for Licensing and Sponsored Research Support Publications: Using Timeline Displays to Improve Medication Reconciliation, eTELEMED 2009, pp. 1-6, Feb. 2009.