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Beyond Vibe Coding

Introduction Having developed and deployed a number of offline-first Progressive Web Apps for personal use, I have had to confront several hard truths about the vibe coding. When observing software from the outside, it is easy to assume that quality of modern web development is defined primarily by a sleek, responsive user interface. But in practice, UI polish is often the easiest part of the workflow - especially today, when generative AI can scaffold responsive layouts in seconds. The true difficulty of building software lies beneath the surface: architectural resilience, data integrity, and real-world clinical utility. In clinical decision support, the technical architecture required to query a medication or check a drug interaction is relatively straightforward. A search bar, an index, and a modal dialog can be assembled in an afternoon. The true, monumental labour lies in accumulating, structuring, verifying, and curating the authoritative clinical source data. A colleague once a...

Cleanroom

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Introduction Cleanroom (secondary engineering control) can be considered as an environment in which several parameters are controlled, monitored and maintained. Contamination Pressurization Temperature and humidity Personnel Access It is typically used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, electronics and aerospace. Compounding Sterile Preparations, 2018 Guide to the Development of Sterile Pharmaceutical Preparation Facilities, 2010 NOTE: Best refer PIC/S for the updated info. Manual for Sterile Preparations, 2026 NOTE: May refer PIC/S for more info. External Links PIC/S Guide to the Development of Sterile Pharmaceutical Preparation Facilities, 2010 Manual for Sterile Preparations, 2026

Google Apps Script

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Introduction Today, I learned that an IT-savvy colleague of mine used Google Sheets as a lightweight backend and built a simple lookup web application on top of it using Google Apps Script . Discovering this potential was an eye-opener. It got me thinking about how we could leverage Apps Script internally - such as building an in-house drug formulary directory for our hospital - rather than relying on third-party no-code spreadsheet-to-app platforms like Open As App , AppSheet or Wistify . Intrigued, I decided to explore Apps Script further. At a high level, Apps Script is effectively a cloud-native equivalent to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Written in standard JavaScript, it is designed to automate workflows and route data across Google Workspace (Sheets, Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar) and external REST APIs. Crucially, it can host self-contained mini-web apps directly through its HtmlService - served via an endpoint such as https://script.google.com/macros/s/.../exec - w...

Handling of Psychotropic Substances in MOH Facilities

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Introduction To standardize operations and ensure strict statutory compliance with the Poisons (Psychotropic Substances) Regulations 1989 and the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 , the Ministry of Health Malaysia published the Garis Panduan Pengendalian Bahan Psikotropik di Fasiliti Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia in 2024. A psychotropic substance refers to any substance or compound specified in the Third Schedule of the Poisons Act 1952 . Under Regulation 3(1) of the Poisons (Psychotropic Substances) Regulations 1989, no person shall possess, supply, or administer any psychotropic substance unless explicitly authorized by law, held for an approved lawful purpose, and obtained in compliance with statutory provisions. Scope of practice by healthcare personnel Pharmacists: Authorized to possess, compound, mix, and dispense psychotropic substances upon receipt of a valid prescription (Assistant Pharmacists assist under the direct personal supervision of a pharmacist). Registered Medical Practi...

Implementation of New Prescription Format

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Introduction Through the issuance of the Director-General of Health (KPK) Circular No. 11/2026 , the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) has mandated the official implementation of the New Prescription Format across all MOH healthcare facilities starting 1 January 2027. This standardisation effort introduces a new format for outpatient prescription with document number Perubatan 6A - Pin. 1/26 and an inpatient prescription format with document number Perubatan 6B - Bil. 1/26. This change is driven by three key factors: Enhancing patient safety through the display of drug allergy status and body weight, Ensuring full compliance with current legal acts, and Standardising the inpatient prescription format nationwide to prevent medication errors . Outpatient Prescription Inpatient Prescription External Links Surat Pekeliling Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Malaysia Bil. 11/2026: Format Preskripsi Di Fasiliti Kesihatan Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) Implementation of the New Prescription Fo...

MAL No.

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Introduction Before being marketed in Malaysia, all pharmaceutical products including health supplements and traditional preparations must be registered with the Drug Control Authority . Registered products will have 2 key features. A registration number starts with "MAL" A genuine FarmaTag hologram sticker Users can check the registration status of a product through the Quest 3+ or by contacting the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency at 03-78835400. Format of MAL A valid registration number starts with "MAL", followed by 8-digit numbers and ends with an alphabet to indicate their registration category. The first 2 digits correspond to the year of registration, the next 2 digits corresponds to the month of registration and followed by 4 digits of running numbers. NOTE: Notification number is unique for each cosmetic product and its variant (if any) in the format as below: NOTyymmxxxxxK (y: year, m: month, x: serial number). Categories of Registered Prod...

Gamifying Healthcare

Introduction A surprising trend has emerged across Threads : the sudden rise of interactive healthcare role-playing games such as WardRun , FarmasiJona , and Dentist Hero . The developers deserve credit for their execution - clear thought has gone into delivering clean visuals, intuitive mechanics, and remarkably smooth, bug-free gameplay. Balancing Gameplay with Clinical Fidelity While gamification makes hospital workflows accessible, the core challenge lies in balancing entertainment with genuine educational value for both the public and clinical learners. Public Insight: These games undoubtedly offer the public a rare window into the frantic pace and operational bottlenecks of daily ward rounds, outpatient clinics, and inpatient dispensing counters. The Clinical Knowledge Barrier: Key tasks - such as inpatient order verification, therapeutic drug monitoring, identifying drug-drug interactions, and resolving therapeutic duplications - inherently demand solid clinical training. Even...