Projects

The NLM Pillbox

Automating processes to cleanup and publish a public-domain library of over 7,000 high-quality images.

Executive Summary

HHS drug labeling information is critical to addressing health challenges such as reduction of medication errors, improving adherence, EHR/PHR development, and supporting emergency personnel. Extending the reach of this data via innovative products and services created by health IT developers is critical in solving these challenges. Pillbox at the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health provides the first free and easy-to-use access to this valuable data set. In addition, Pillbox has led the creation a public-domain image library of over 7,000 high-quality pill images.

Previously, the complex process that creates the Pillbox data set took weeks to perform. For HHS Ignite, the Pillbox team and a group of data processing experts created a next-generation system that reduced the time-required to around 1 hour. Additionally, the software code that powers this new system is being open-sourced, so developers can more deeply integrate and utilize these pharmaceutical data and images. Developers can also use this code to access other high value data elements in the drug labels that are not part of Pillbox.

HHS drug labeling data contains numerous errors and inconsistencies, many related to a pill’s physical appearance. By providing access and encouraging non-subject matter experts to build innovative and beneficial clinical and consumer applications and services, Pillbox is obligated to actively address these quality issues. The open source code created through HHS Ignite will be used as the foundation to create an error tracking, notification, and data scoring system, directly engaging with the Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical companies, and developers.

A project supported by the: HHS Ignite Accelerator

Team Members

David Hale (Project Lead), NIH
Jennifer Dong, NIH
Quynh Nguyen, NIH
Ying Sun, NIH
Florence Chang, NIH

Milestones

July 2013: Selected into the HHS Ignite Accelerator
August 2013: Time in the Accelerator began
February 2014: Time in the Accelerator ended

Project Sponsor

Florence Chang, National Library of Medicine, NIH