Computers in pharmacy are used for the information of drug data, records and files, drug management (creating, modifying, adding and deleting data in patient files to generate reports), business details. Applications of Computer Science in Pharmacy Computer is mandatory in this advanced era and pharmacy and related subjects are not exception to it. This review mainly focuses on the various applications, software’s and use of computers in pharmacy. Computer science and technology is deeply utilized in pharmacy field everywhere like in pharmacy colleges, pharmaceutical industries, research centers, hospital pharmacy and many more. Computer significantly reduces the time, expenditure, and manpower required for any kind of work. Development of various softwares makes it trouble-free to handle huge data. In short, computers are playing critical role in pharmacy field, without computers pharmacy research will be long-lasting andexpensive. Pharmacy field plays a crucial role in patient health care. It is a huge field which is present worldwide. To run pharmacy field professionally and efficiently, it requires huge management and manpower. But nowadays use of computers in pharmacy field reduced the manpower and time. Computers are almost related to every corner of pharmacy field. These are utilized in the drug design technique, retail pharmacy shop, clinical research centers, crude drug identification,drug storage and business management, hospital and clinical pharmacy, in pharmacy colleges for computer assistedlearning. Internet is huge collection of data. It is available in just one click. Various search engines like Google, Yahoo, Rediff, Bing help in searching online data related to pharmacy field just one have to enter his or her area of interest in search engine. In Pharmacy field, effective use of computers started from 1980. Since then there is great demand of computers in pharmacy field. Computers are having their own advantages like reduction in time, accuracy, and reduction in man power, speed, multitasking, non-fatiguness, high memory, data storage and many more. USE OF INTERNET IN PHARMACY Internet is collection of huge data. And this data is available for us in just a one click. Internet is useful tool in literature survey. Books are also available on the internet. Various research journals can be easily accessed via internet. There are number of web-sites which are related to pharmacy field. Some of these web sites are as follows; www.phrma.org Organization representing America's pharmaceutical research companies provides details of drug development, industry news, and health guides. www.healthcareforums.com Created to facilitate interaction among healthcare professionals on specific topics which include discussion of cases, research and other relevant issues. www.astra.com This is the official web-site of ASTRA pharmaceuticals which produces medications for respiratory tract, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, and for pain

1. Application of Computers in
Pharmacy

2. Introduction to database
• A database is an organized collection of data, generally stored
and accessed electronically from a computer system. It
supports the storage and manipulation of data. In other words,
databases are used by an organization as a method of storing,
managing and retrieving information.

3. What is the purpose of a database?
• Database, also called electronic database, any collection of
data, or information, that is specially organized for rapid search
and retrieval by a computer. Databases are structured to
facilitate the storage, retrieval, modification, and deletion of
data in conjunction with various data-processing
operations.

4. What is example of database?
• MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, Oracle Database, PostgreSQL,
Informix, Sybase, etc. are all examples of different databases.
These modern databases are managed by DBMS. Structured
Query Language, or SQL as it is more widely known, is used to
operate on the data in a database.

5. What are the advantages of database?
• Reduced data redundancy
• Reduced updating errors and increased consistency
• Greater data integrity and independence from applications
programs
• Improved data access to users through use of host and query
languages
• Improved data security
• Reduced data entry, storage, and retrieval costs
• Facilitated development of new applications program

6. What are the Disadvantages of database?
• Database systems are complex, difficult, and time-consuming to
design
• Substantial hardware and software start-up costs
• Damage to database affects virtually all applications programs
• Extensive conversion costs in moving form a file-based system
to a database system
• Initial training required for all programmers and users

7. Database Management System Functions
• Data Dictionary Management,
• Data Storage Management,
• Data Transformation and Presentation,
• Security Management,
• Multi-User Access Control,
• Backup and Recovery Management,
• Data Integrity Management,

8. What are the elements of database?
• The five major components of a database are hardware,
software, data, procedure, and database access language.

12. What is the structure of database?
Database structure: the building blocks of a database
Within a database, related data are grouped into tables, each
of which consists of rows (also called tuples) and columns,
like a spreadsheet.

13. What are database data types?
• Database data types refer to the format of data storage that can
hold a distinct type or range of values. When computer
programs store data in variables, each variable must be
designated a distinct data type. Some common data types are
as follows: integers, characters, strings, floating-point numbers
and arrays.
• Int 6, 12.987, G, “Mukesh” int a[10] =

14. What is database size?
• The size of your database depends on your application, as
well as the number of users and items. A database
containing the seed data supplied with the Movie Site
application may use just 250 MB, while the Like Minds tables for
a large site with millions of users may take up 10 GB.

15. Where is SQL?
• The SQL WHERE clause is used to specify a condition while
fetching the data from a single table or by joining with
multiple tables. If the given condition is satisfied, then only it
returns a specific value from the table. You should use the
WHERE clause to filter the records and fetching only the
necessary records.

16. What is MS Access used for?
• Microsoft Access is an information management tool, or
relational database, that helps you store information for
reference, reporting and analysis. Access can also overcome
the limitations found when trying to manage large amounts of
information in Excel or other spreadsheet applications.

17. Is MS Access still used?
• Is Microsoft Access dead? No, Microsoft have no plans to end
Microsoft Access. They are committed to its development.

18. What is difference between Excel and Access?
Microsoft Excel is an application that uses spreadsheets to
create charts, graphs, tabular models. Microsoft Access is also
an application that acts as a database program. It helps in
collecting and sorting the data. It is used for spreadsheets and
financial calculations.

19. Can I get Microsoft Access for free?
The Microsoft 365 Access Runtime files are available as a free
download in either the 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) versions in all
supported languages. Decide which bit version you need.

20. What is the advantage of MS Access?
• Microsoft Access is a software you can use to store, edit, and
organize large pools of data. Unlike Excel, Access has more
safeguards in place to prevent human error. You'll also be
able to manage more data for your company.

21. What is MySQL and why it is used?
• MySQL is a database management system.
To add, access, and process data stored in a computer
database, you need a database management system such as
MySQL Server.

22. What is difference between SQL and MySQL?
• SQL is a query programming language that manages
RDBMS. MySQL is a relational database management system
that uses SQL. SQL is primarily used to query and operate
database systems. MySQL allows you to handle, store, modify
and delete data and store data in an organized way.

23. Which is better MS Access or MySQL?
MS Access does not support Partitioning feature whereas MySQL
has composite, Range partitioning support. MySQL is
opensource so no cost involved. MS Access database is more
suitable for desktop use with a small number of users accessing
it simultaneously.

24. Is MySQL free download?
MySQL Community Edition is the freely downloadable version of
the world's most popular open source database. It is available
under the GPL license and is supported by a huge and active
community of open source developers.

25. Pharmacy Drug Database
Pharmacy drug database refers to the collection and compilation
of data related to various drugs that can be used by physicians
and other healthcare professionals to ensure provision of best
pharmaceutical services to the patients.

26. What are the uses of database in pharmacy?
• Databases are the core of information processing in pharmacy
and health care. They support both administration and clinical
decision making. Databases range in size and scope, with large
databases supporting the work of multiple departments and/or
pharmacies.

27. What is primary drug database?
• Primary sources of drug information include unpublished
studies and original articles published in reputed peer-reviewed
journals reporting original research, ideas or opinions. They
form the basis for all other sources of information. They provide
the most up-to-date information on that particular topic.

28. Where can I find information about drugs?
Try the websites www.drugs.com/fda-consumer/ or MedlinePlus.
Drugs.com is designed for both consumers and health
professionals.

29. What is the drug information storage and retrieval?
The storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information
constitutes a major function of any drug information service
(DIS). We developed a computerized system for the storage and
retrieval of data from drug information requests (DIR) using a
MUMPS-based information system.

30. What is the role of information storage and retrieval systems?
• An information storage and retrieval system (ISRS) is a network
with a built-in user interface that facilitates the creation,
searching, and modification of stored data.

31. What are examples of drug information
sources?
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html
• http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Home
• http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
• http://clinicaltrials.gov/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2656044/

32. Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics is currently defined as the study of the time
course of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion. Clinical pharmacokinetics is the application of
pharmacokinetic principles to the safe and effective therapeutic
management of drugs in an individual patient.

33. What is pharmacokinetics vs pharmacodynamics?
In simple words, pharmacokinetics is 'what the body does to the
drug'. Pharmacodynamics describes the intensity of a drug effect
in relation to its concentration in a body fluid, usually at the site of
drug action. It can be simplified to 'what the drug does to the
body'.

34. What is mathematical model in drug design?
Drug development is the process of bringing a new
pharmaceutical drug to the market once a lead compound has
been identified through the process of drug discovery.
Mathematical model: A mathematical model is a description of a
system using mathematical concepts and language.

35. What is mathematical modeling examples?
Example: An ice cream company keeps track of how many ice
creams get sold on different days. By comparing this to the
weather on each day they can make a mathematical model of
sales versus weather. They can then predict future sales based
on the weather forecast, and decide how many ice creams they
need to make.

36. What is Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy?
Clinical pharmacy is a health science discipline in which
pharmacists provide patient care that optimizes medication
therapy and promotes health, and disease prevention.

37. What is the role of clinical pharmacist in hospital?
Clinical pharmacists are the experts in the therapeutic use of
medicines in the healthcare team and may perform various tasks
including: Evaluating medication therapy and making appropriate
recommendations to patients or health practitioners.

38. Do clinical pharmacists exist in hospitals?
The input to patient care for example does vary, in some
hospitals there are ward based pharmacists who practice as key
members of the clinical team whilst in others a pharmacist may
visit the wards on an irregular basis to review medicine charts
and promote formulary policies.

39. What is the main difference between pharmacy
and clinical pharmacy?
• Pharmacy- Emphasizes knowledge of synthasis chemistry and
preparation of drug.
• Clinical pharmacy- Orient to the analysis of population
regarding medicines, way of administration, pattern of use,
drug's effect on patient.

40. Is hospital pharmacist same as clinical pharmacist?
A hospital pharmacist, sometimes called a clinical pharmacist, is
a type of pharmacist who works within a hospital or other medical
facility to assist other medical professionals with dispensing
medications.

41. What is the purpose of clinical pharmacy?
In general, the primary duties of the pharmacist include providing
drug information, medicines management, preparation and
dispensing of medicines, counselling of patients, and formulating
pharmaceutical care plan for patients.

42. What is the scope of clinical pharmacy?
Clinical pharmacy is a branch of pharmacy which deals with the
patient care and medication and promotes health, wellness and
disease inhibition. The pharmacist works in management with the
doctors for the patient healthcare.

43. What are electronic prescribing system?
With electronic prescribing, or “e-Prescribing,” health care
providers can enter prescription information into a computer
device – like a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer – and securely
transmit the prescription to pharmacies using a special software
program and connectivity to a transmission network.

44. What is electronic prescription and its benefits?
E-Prescribing lets prescribers review, authorize and send
prescription refills quickly freeing up staff members for other
patient-focused tasks. Also, for patients who run out of medication
while traveling, E-prescribing makes filling the request a simple
process.

45. What do you mean by Telepharmacy?
Telepharmacy is the delivery of pharmaceutical care via
telecommunications to patients in locations where they may not
have direct contact with a pharmacist. It is an instance of the
wider phenomenon of telemedicine, as implemented in the field
of pharmacy.

46. How are electronic prescriptions handled?
In contrast, an electronic prescription uses computer-based
security instead of a paper prescription pad. The physician
“signs” the prescription electronically and the staff then sends it
immediately to the patient's preferred pharmacy.

47. What are the advantages of telepharmacy?
Telepharmacy has many recognizable benefits such as the easy
access to healthcare services in remote and rural locations,
economic benefits, patient satisfaction as a result of medication
access and information in rural areas, effective patient
counseling, and minimal scarcity of local pharmacist and
pharmacy services.

48. What is online telepharmacy?
An online telepharmacy service may be utilized to provide and
clarify medication information as part of primary care. Keywords:
COVID-19; drug information service; health information; primary
health care; telehealth.

49. What is the scope of telemedicine?
Telemedicine includes the use of communication networks and
digital solutions in providing health services. It allows
collaboration between providers and patients across spatial
boundaries, for activities linked to health promotion, prevention,
diagnosis, timely referral, management and follow-up of patients.