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Frequently Asked Questions

 

Where can I find drug identifiers on the web?

How can I perform a drug update for the addVantage SDK?

Do you have herbs and supplements in your drug database?

How can I test to see that drug interactions are working on the addVantage SDK?

Which drugs have patient education leaflets?

How do I locate version and patch number?

How can I run the Multum Service Monitor on a remote machine?

What are the hardware requirements for the addVantageRx SDK?

How can I implement dose range checking?

 

Where can I find drug identifiers for new drugs on the web?   Back to Top

Drug identifiers for all new Multum products are now present here.

How can I perform a drug update for the addVantage SDK?  Back to Top  

An explanation of the drug update process may help your process. These instructions apply to Windows 2000, Windows 2003, and Windows XP.

Each month, Multum distributes a "Drug Update" CD, which contains the cumulative clinical data for all of Multum's services (Allergy, Interactions, etc.)  The clinical content for each of the services (except Patient Education Leaflets) is stored in a series of object oriented database files that are marked with a ".dat" file extension.

 When the drug update "setup" program (usually found in the root directory of the CD) is run, it first checks to see if the latest Multum server patch is installed. If the patch is not installed, the user is prompted with a warning message. (Note: The drug update cannot be applied without the latest patch, which is also included on every drug update CD.)  After the user installs the patch, the drug update setup program can be re-run. The transfer of the new clinical content from the CD to the server machine is completed by the setup program, but the server's transition to the use of the new files must be done manually (by a person).

 Once the database files are written to the server machine by the drug update setup program, someone must manually run the Multum Service Monitor program, and instruct the Multum servers to use the new data. Because the data contained in the database files is tightly coupled, all of the database files must go into use at the same time (all or nothing); i.e., the namedb.dat version "38" file cannot be used with the xrefdb.dat version "37" file. The process of insuring that all of the data is used (or none of the data is used) is coordinated by the Multum Service Monitor and Multum Service Manager programs.

To apply the new data files to the Multum servers, the Multum Service Monitor program is run, the "machine name" (shown in the tree control) is right-clicked, and the "Update Servers" menu item is selected from the popup menu. Clicking "Update Servers" sends a message to the Multum Service Manager, and begins the process of switching database versions. The Multum Service Manager "tells" each of the Multum servers that it should validate the new database files. Each server individually attempts to re-initialize itself with the new data, and reports the result back to the Multum service manager. If all of the Multum servers report that the data is valid, the Multum Service Manager "tells" each server to commit, which results in the servers use of the new data for all future API calls.

Do you have herbs and supplements in your drug database?Back to Top 

Herbal and nutraceutical products are included in our database. Complete allergy, interaction, and therapeutic duplication information is available for all products. In addition, the most commonly used products have patient education leaflets.

How can I test to see that drug interactions are working on the addVantage SDK?Back to Top

Here is a quick test you can do from the client PC to the server to check that interactions is working.  

Go to the Multum directory. In the [version] directory, go to the exec folder. Double click on intdriver executable. click okay (the host name does not have to be entered so leave this blank). Load Generic Drug Name Drug List.

 Choose acetaminophen and warfarin (set one as index and add the other as concomitant medication) 

You should receive the interaction information.

Which drugs have patient education leaflets? Back to Top 

Leaflets are available for about 60% of the generic drug names in our database. This 60% covers all drugs that are normally prescribed and/or dispensed to outpatients. The drugs that do not have leaflets include drugs that are usually used only in an inpatient setting (such as gentamicin injection or vincristine), drugs that are obsolete (such as paraldehyde), and most drugs that do not require as prescription (such as Nyquil). Some commonly used over the counter drugs, like aspirin or acetaminophen do have patient information because they are commonly prescribed and dispensed in a pharmacy. The leaflet is meant to give patients a guide to taking their medication at home.

These drugs cross all therapeutic categories and there is no pattern for their distribution across categories, just that the drug is currently prescribed to outpatients.

Our selection of patient leaflets is used by one of the largest mail order pharmacies in the United States, who feel that the available content covers >99% of the drugs they dispense. We are happy to consider suggestions for additions to our leaflets and will add it to our offerings if the drug is found to be a candidate for this process.

How do I locate version and patch number? Back to Top 

This can be checked by looking in the registry path: "[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MULTUM\SERVICE\[version]]". There should be a string value that says "Patch03", and the patch application date.

How can I run the Multum Service Monitor on a remote machine? Back to Top

To run the Multum Service Monitor on a remote machine, you will need two files: (1) ServiceMonitorControl.ocx and (2) ServiceMonitor.exe.

Once the files are copied to the remote machine, the OCX will need to be registered with Regsvr32.exe.  

What are the hardware requirements for the addVantageRx SDK?Back to Top

The SDK’s hardware requirements are dependent on a number of factors. Some of these include the
number of concurrent client users in the environment, the number of calls made to the SDK server
components during peak load, and the nature of the calls made by your software to the SDK servers. For stand-alone systems (single user environment where the client and server components run on a
single physical machine), the minimum hardware recommendations are:
• 500 MHz CPU
• 512 MB RAM
• 1 GB HD
For multi-user environments of up to 500 concurrent users (client-machines), the minimum hardware
recommendations are:
• 1+ GHz CPU
• 1 GB RAM
• 1 GB HD
For multi-user environments of up to 2500 concurrent users (client-machines), the minimum hardware
recommendations are:
• 3+ GHz CPU
• 2 GB RAM
• 1 GB HD
Please note that these are minimum system requirements. Heavy load testing shows that the greatest benefit in throughput for the SDK is achieved by (1) the addition of physical memory, and (2) increased CPU speed in that order. For larger-scale installations, multiple physical machines positioned behind a load-balancing device may be appropriate.

How can I implement dose range checking?Back to Top

Multum has created a comprehensive suite of clinical information concerning dose range checking. Multum’s dose range checking service provides a tool to help reduce adverse drug events by preventing unsafe medication orders. Dose range check analyzes a medication order to determine whether the order exceeds the single or daily high dose, is below the single or daily low dose, or exceeds the recommended treatment period. These ranges can be based on patient age, weight, or body surface area, and renal function, or liver function.

Dose Range Check reviews:

1. High, Low, or maximum daily dose

2. High, Low or maximum single dose

3. Dosing Frequency

4. Maximum life-time dose

5. Renal impairment dosage adjustments

6. Liver impairment dosage adjustments

7. Pediatric dosage ranges

8. Normal adult dosage ranges

9. Geriatric dosage ranges

Patient-specific data allows Multum’s dose range checker to provide a more tailored dose range check for the patient. If patient-specific data is unavailable, dose range check provides a range based on a normal adult.

A dosage comment can be displayed indicating that:

1. This order is OK to be given to the patient with this condition

2. This order should not be given to the patient with this condition

3. This order should not be given in this dosage form to the patient with this condition.

  

 

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