The goal of the freemed formulary module is to allow members of a prescribing organization to integrate the best possible drug information into their practice of medicine. We hope to provide prescribers the tools to go beyond the HMO formulary concept, whose aim is to steer prescribers to write scripts for a narrow range of approved drugs. The format is not yet finalized and is open to suggestions.
The formulary contains prescription drug information in a table format. The first column is the name of the drug class, the most general category. Drug classes may vary for each prescribing organization. Example classes are nsaid (non- steroidal anti-inflammatory), acei (angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor), etc.
The next column contains the generic name of the drug, followed by the trademarked name of the drug, which varies according to the manufacturer. This may also vary according to formulations.
The following three fields are for indications. This may not be an exhaustive list. (Pointer to another table in the third field?)
ADD - Selects the menu to add a new item to the formulary.
RETURN TO MENU - Return to the main database maintenance menu.
MOD[i] - Modify elements of this entry in the formulary, for instance indications.
DEL[i] - Delete this element from the formulary. (Drastic and irreversible!)