When you have to start taking a drug, no matter what it is, one of the things that you have to be careful of is the emergence of side effects that are caused by the medication. These side effects can range in impact from anything that has to do with a dry mouth and hives to the development of serious health conditions. As a result, it is necessary for people to be hyper vigilant when it comes to taking new medications. Nevertheless, many of the medications on the market do not have a lot of research behind the side effects in people. Although the FDA will have had to of passed the drug as being safe for human consumption, there are still a variety of risks that are being taken. As a result, one of the most important new research methods out there involves the crowd sourcing of side effects of various medications.
Utilizing a medicine tracking app, patients can now input into a system what the side effects are that they may be experiencing. This means that instead of an individual experiencing the side effects and then going to their doctor to report them, they can do it instantaneously, helping others in the future be knowledgeable about how they may be impacted by a specific drug. Once the information is loaded into the system, it is sent to a database run by researchers at the Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard University. The research will then be used to influence future trials of the medications and also inform different takers of the medication that there may be these other side effects that are not advertised. This is possible through the voluntary reporting practices of many of the people that participate in the program. It is done in such a way that the patient’s identify remains confidential, thus following the stringent rules of HIPPA, yet their age, sex, and condition are all reportable, so that researchers can use the information in their practices.
It is a pretty interesting way for doctors to find out even more information about a drug that may have just been introduced to the market. The other thing that is possible is that it allows for users to get a precursory sense of what side effects may be apparent with a specific drug, so they can be more knowledgeable about what they will be ingesting. It is a great way for information to immediately be placed in the hands of individuals that will be able to benefit from the information. The technology is called MedWatcher and it is something that can completely change the face of the medical industry into the future. It will make drugs safer for patients and it will allow for more and more people to have the access to high quality drugs without having to worry about the impacts that the drug may have on their quality of life. The adverse effects should not outweigh the positive effects of any medication and that is important.