As part of the review and evaluation process, a representative sample of users of existing MSH pharmaceutical management software (i.e., INVEC-2, CLM, and ECPRO-2) were surveyed to determine what changes in functionality they would like to see in a new, integrated program.

Based on country needs, sound pharmaceutical management principles (i.e., "best practices") drawn from the second edition of Managing Drug Supply and industry standards for such areas as accounting and procurement were applied.

Based on this information, logistics and medical stores management experts at MSH collaborated to develop a detailed list of requirements for an optimal pharmaceutical management program, one powerful and flexible enough to be suitable for use in a variety of settings.

During this process, expert reviewers from established systems such as the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Pooled Procurement Service (OECS/PPS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) were asked to review and to make suggestions on the draft requirements list.

MSH staff prioritized the resulting 235 requirements as mandatory, desirable, or optional for our goals and purposes. A summary of the requirements list is presented in Table 1.

Throughout the entire process, Mitretek Systems, Inc., a not-for-profit technology consulting organization, assisted in evaluating commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software packages, researching industry standards, organizing the requirements into functional areas, and testing and piloting the adapted product.