Book review

Citation

Ahmad, T. (2022), "Book review", Society and Business Review, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 331-332. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-05-2022-209

Review

Wrong prescriptions can cause problems and they can be fatal. To minimize such errors and show global responsibility, developed countries are using technologies to improve the process of prescribing drugs.

This publication provides us with a solution which can assist doctors in minimizing such errors. The author designed and implemented a distributed intelligent mobile agent-based system (OptiPres) which doctors can use on their smart phones while prescribing medicine.

OptiPres can be a useful tool and I congratulate Mr. Miller on conducting this study which makes a great contribution to both research and practice. Overall, this publication is well organized and written in a clear language. Data is properly illustrated, analyzed and interpreted. The research methodology is appropriate, and the research is both well designed and well conducted. Mr. Miller provides useful and to the point literature review explaining two areas on which OptiPres was developed; agent technology and decision theory. Throughout my reading, the author meticulously explained what he is doing and why he is doing that. OptiPres was well evaluated using three different scenarios. This study makes a useful contribution when it comes to prescribing drugs.

Chapter 1 builds the case that medical errors can be reduced using computer technology. The author mentions correctly that there is resistance to technological changes by physicians. The author suggests that many doctors do not make effective use of current technology in their practice especially in developing countries. This chapter makes the readers think, what can be done to make doctors use technologies like OptiPres!

Chapter 2 reviews the literature where author explains the concept of mobile intelligent agents and decision theory. The author also explains combined use of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Case-base Reasoning (CBR) which will help in getting better results. I agree that as information changes, combined usage of AHP and CBR will be helpful.

Chapter 3 proposes research methods which are based on seven guidelines. The main output of this publication is a mobile intelligent agent system (OptiPres). OptiPres provides a solution to reduce the problem of prescription errors by assisting doctors with the decision process. This chapter adequately provides a method to make decisions where multiple factors have to be considered in a distributed environment.

Chapter 4 shows development of OptiPres. Agent algorithm is well explained using a flow chart. Jade platform is also explained well in this chapter. Good use of graphs, tables, figures help in understanding the content of this chapter.

Chapter 5 evaluates OptiPres. Use of diagrams and figures, appropriate headings, to the point explanation and easy layout makes this chapter interesting to read. I liked the case-based approach and three scenarios where prescription results were compared. OptiPres layout was useful as it gives rationale of the drug it prescribes and then the doctor can take the final decision. The results showed confidence in OptiPres (32 doctors evaluated OptiPres).

Chapter 6 is the final chapter where the author concludes his work by taking us through previous chapters and identifying some of the limitations of this publication.

All in all, this is a good study which lays the foundation for additional scholarly work to further advance knowledge in this important area. The subject matter is interesting and the author’s easy writing style made it an enjoyable read. The material is well presented in all the chapters with a top-down approach consisting of an overview, the main body of information and then a summary.

Under the theme of society and business, if you want to have few ideas on how technological innovations can improve medical care, this is a wonderful read!

Tashfeen Ahmad

University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica