What to look for in pharmacokinetic software

This checklist appeared in an article by Neil Massoud, PharmD in the January/February 1994 issue of "ComputerTalk for Pharmacists".

A good pharmacokinetic program should:

• Provide fail-safes, such as checks on age and weight, lab values, etc.
• Check against standard kinetics values and warn of +/- 2 standard deviations from the norm.
• Have storage capability to view what you did the day before or when the patient was in the ICU versus stabilized.
• Allow appropriate equation flexibility for all ages.
• Offer compatiblity with numerous printers.
• Be easy to learn and use.
• Be capable of doing steady-state as well as non-steady state.
• Perform Bayesian analysis.
• Change parameters according to renal- or liver function.
• Feel right, in your clinical judgement.