Chapter Outline
When you step into a pharmacy to pick up a prescription, the simple act is one point in a complex set of systems and actions. The system checks your prescription and ensures that it is reliable and valid. It then allows the pharmacist to dispense the requisite prescription and provides the notes to be printed for the patient and/or caregiver to ensure that the right dosage is taken for the time frame prescribed by the physician. In some cases, the information system also checks for allergies or other medications that may result in an adverse reaction for the patient. As a safety measure, this information, if available, is also provided in the notes provided with the prescription. This is just one example of how your daily life intersects with the design and development of information systems.