Dictionary of Medicines + Devices
In order to optimise safe, cost effective use and processing of medicines and medical devises it is a basic requirement to standardise the names used to identify these items.
One of the difficulties in defining names for medicines is that they are used in different contexts by a wide variety of individuals working in the health service and in regulatory and administrative authorities and organisations. For example in order to identify a drug interaction it is most effective to refer to the medicine by the active constituent rather than the brand names.
According to the official website of dm+d ( http://www.dmd.nhs.uk ), dm+d is defined as follows.
“The dm+d is a dictionary containing unique identifiers and associated textual descriptions for medicines and medical devices.”
A fuller summary of the background, scope, structure of DM+D together with comments regarding the benefits of using DM+D as a means of harmonisation of National Lists of Medicines is given in the article attached here
A powerpoint presentation on DM+D can also be viewed here.