Spreadsheet interface for transfer of drug-use data from a mainframe to a personal computer.

The development of spreadsheets and automated instructions for transfer of drug-use data from a hospital's mainframe computer to the pharmacy department computer is described. Drug-use data are down-loaded from the mainframe as an ASCII file on a floppy disk. Instructions within the spreadsheet ("macros") are used to import the data into the first spreadsheet, arrange the data to be compatible with the database portion of the spreadsheet, and transfer the data to another spreadsheet where drug use and cost are calculated and placed in the column for the appropriate month. A series of formulas are used to arrange the imported data to account for items that have not been used. By eliminating the need for manual data input into the spreadsheets, the macros and associated formulas saved pharmacists substantial time.