HOW TO RUN A DRUG INFORMATION CENTER

HOW TO RUN

A DRUG INFORMATION CENTER ...?

Introduction

• All countries should provide drug information services either independently or as part of a regional network.

• The service should include: collecting, reviewing, evaluating, indexing and distributing information on drugs to health workers.

• Drug and poisons information centres are best established within major teaching hospitals. This allows access to clinical experience, libraries, research facilities and educational activities.

Definition

Drug Information (DI):

Knowledge of facts through; reading, study, or practical experience on chemical substance that is used in

• Diagnosis
• Prevention
• and treatment of a disease

Drug information center (DIC):

DIC encompasses the activities of specially trained individuals to provide accurate, unbiased, and factual information primarily given in response to patient oriented drug problems received from pharmacists, nurses, physician and other healthcare professionals.

Requirements for setting up a DIC

The basic requirements to set up a DIC :

1) A trained person to provide drug information

2)Texts and Databases

3 )Facilities

1- Personnel

2- Texts and Databases

• The number of personnel required will depend on the range of activities offered and the hours of service.

• The professional staff should include a full-time clinical pharmacist or a clinical pharmacologist.

The center should maintain its own library of commonly used resources.

Includes:

Textbooks, Databases, Data sheets, Reports and Scientific journals.

Sources of DI:

Generally, sources of drug information are divided into three classes:

The personal qualities required would be:

Primary sources:

These are various journals containing original articles.

• Advantage:

Up to date and the best source of DI

• Disadvantage:

Costly

Time consuming

Examples:

Annals of pharmacotherapy, British medical journal, Annals of internal medicine, etc.

Secondary sources

These are the bibliographic, indexing and abstracting services that serve as a door for selective screening of the primary sources.

• Knowledge of pharmacy and public health

• English reading comprehension skills

• Computer skills

• Good verbal and written communication skills

• Interest and commitment to work in the field.

• Disadvantage:

Need to pay for access (for most)

Don’t always include full-text

Examples:

Embase, PubMed, Medline, International pharmaceutical abstracts, etc.

Tertiary sources:

Tertiary references are the starting point to identify information because they provide complete overview of information on a specific topic.

• Advantage:

Convenient

Easy to use

Familiar to most pharmacist

• Disadvantage:

Older, less current information

• Examples:

Textbooks, Handbooks, Drug Compendia and Reference books

3- Facilities

4- Finance

Basic equipment required for a center includes:

• DIC should have an independent source of income

• Financial support from the pharmaceutical industry or other groups which could represent a potential conflict of interest will tend to undermine a center's reputation for independent analysis and advice

• Furniture: Desks, Chairs, Shelving
• Communications: Telephones, Facsimile, Internet access
• Computers
• Software
• Photocopier

Challenges for running a DIC

Role of DIC

• Lack of recognition (maybe because most people misunderstand their role)

• Lack of permanent financial support

• Understaffing

• Outdated DI sources

• Inappropriate facilities

• Drug Evaluation

• Therapeutic Advice

• Pharmaceutical Advice

• Education and Training

• Dissemination of information

• Research Activities

How to receive DI questions?

How to answer DI questions?

• Building a database and Assessing critical factors

• Analysis and synthesis

• Responses and recommendation

• The requestors, regardless of background, are often uncertain about what the pharmacist needs to know.

• Critical info. NOT readily volunteered

• Before attempting to formulate responses, pharmacists must ensure that they understand the context

Desired characteristics of response

• Timely
• Current
• Accurate
• Complete
• Well referenced
• Clear and logical
• Objective and balanced
• Free of bias
• Applicable

Question to consider before formulating

a response

• Do i know the requestor's general info. ?
• Do i know the pt. history and background info. ?
• Do i have a clear understanding of the question ?
• Do i know if the correct question is being asked?

Conclusion

• DICs are necessary to improve the rational use of drugs

• receiving drug info. mainly from the pharmaceutical industry can be biased, especially the new powerful and specifically acting drugs that need precise, updated and unbiased info. that must be used properly

Reference:

• Drug information a guide for pharmacists, 3rd edition.

• International pharmacy journal

pharmacy information

DICs in developing countries and the promotion of rational use of drugs: A viewpoint about challenges and perspectives

• FIP Pharmacy information section

requirements for DICs