CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the introduction to the study, statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, organization of the research and definition of terms.

Medication therapy is critical in treating and preventing disease and is an integral part of everyday life for many people. The pharmaceutical supply chain of manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and pharmacists, as well as physicians and governments, acknowledge the importance of having a continuous supply of medications. This makes it very important for a drug checklist system to be in place to facilitate easy recording and updating of drug information. With a drug checklist system in place, pharamacies will be able to update the availability status of drugs. This will enable them to know if a drug is available or not. However, it is possible within today’s drug distribution system for glitches to occur, such as short-term back orders or long-term drug unavailability. The challenge for health care providers is to provide seamless, equivalent drug therapy at comparable costs. Assessment requires a critical evaluation of the current situation and potential impact of the shortage on patient outcomes [1].

When an important drug product is not available, practitioners will want to know:

• Reasons for the product’s unavailability
• When the product will be available
• Options for obtaining the drug from alternate sources
• Alternate therapies and their cost consequences
• Related information needs of health care providers and patients.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

After examination of the existing system, the following problems were identified:

1. Absence of drug check information system to retrieve information about drugs sold.
2. Manual method of recording drug information.
3. Absence of a comprehensive drug information database system.

1.2  Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to develop a drug check list management. The following are the specific objectives:

1. To create a computerized system that can be used to manage drug information.
2. To create or design an information system that will provide detailed information about available drugs when needed.
3. To create a system that can be used to check the NAFDAC number, prescription and other vital information of registered drugs.

1.3 Significance of the Study

The study is significant in the following ways:

1. It will provide an information system that can be used to determine the usage of registered drugs.
2. It will help in guiding the pharmacy and customers on how to use the drug and the rules to follow.
3. It will provide an avenue to easily manage drug information.
4. The study will serve as a useful reference material to other researchers seeking similar information on the subject

1.4 Scope of the Study

This study covers Drug checklist management record system using Lily pharmacy in Ikot Ekpene as a case study. It is limited to the management of vital information pertaining to available drugs in the pharmacy.

1.5 Organization of Research

This research work is organized into five chapters. Chapter one is concerned with the introduction of the research study and it presents the preliminaries, theoretical background, statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, organization of the research and definition of terms.

Chapter two focuses on the literature review, the contributions of other scholars on the subject matter is discussed.

Chapter three is concerned with the system analysis and design. It presents the research methodology used in the development of the system, it analyzes the present system to identify the problems and provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed system. The system design is also presented in this chapter.

Chapter four presents the system implementation and documentation, the choice of programming language, analysis of modules, choice of programming language and system requirements for implementation.

Chapter five focuses on the summary, constraints of the study, conclusion and recommendations are provided in this chapter based on the study carried out.

1.6 Definition of Terms

Drug: A substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, or modify a chemical process in the body for specific purpose.

Checklist: A list of tasks to be completed, names to be consulted, conditions to be verified and similar.

Pharmacy: A place where prescription drugs are dispensed.

Pharmacist: A professional who dispenses drugs in a hospital or retail pharmacy.