Transcript Introduction to Pharmacy Practice

Chapter 7: Drug Information Resouces
Learning Outcomes
 Classify drug information request
 Obtain appropriate background information for drug
request
 Distinguish between pharmacist & technician
questions
 Given a specific pharmacy-related question, identify
best resource to use to find answer
 Describe how to find answers to drug information
questions at workplace
Key Terms
 Drug information request
 Material safety data sheets
 Medline
 Package insert
 Primary references
 Secondary references
 Tertiary references
Drug Information Request
 Question regarding medication
 Technician question or pharmacist question?
 any doubtdefer question to pharmacist
 consumers may not understand who should answer
 Identify person initiating request
 obtain contact information (phone, pager, fax, etc.)
Who is asking?
 How does ondansetron (Zofran) work?
 response different for patient compared to physician
 Purpose of request
 needs of requestor
 clinical judgment?
 general knowledge or for specific patient?

patient info may be needed
 Urgency of request
 basics now & more detail later?
Classifying Request
 General Drug Information
 Availability and Cost
 Storage and Stability
 Calculations
 Preparation
 Pharmacy Law
 Miscellaneous
Clinical Judgment
 Is it a patient-specific question?
 Who is requesting information?
 patient may be indirectly asking for pharmacist’s input
 If there is any doubt about nature of question
 defer question to pharmacist
Examples:
 Identification & Availability
 What is paracetamol & what is its U.S. equivalent?


technician can obtain technical information about availability
therapeutic alternatives must be answered by pharmacist
Examples
 Allergies
 Which narcotic is safe to use in a patient with a codeine
allergy?
 pharmacist must obtain more patient specific
information



description of allergy
condition being treated
clinical judgment required
Choosing Right References
1st consult tertiary references
2nd consult secondary references
3rd consult primary references
References
 Tertiary references = general references
 documented information condensed and compact
 textbooks
 AHFS DI
 Drug Facts & Comparisons
 Micromedex® Clinical Information System
 Good: easy to use, convenient, readily accessible,
concise & compact
 Bad: may not be up to date, errors, level of detail not
deep enough due to space restrictions.
References
 Secondary references=indexing systems
 Medline

list of journal articles on the topic
 for new or very up-to-date information
 or no information can be located in tertiary references
 Primary references are original research articles
 published in scientific journals



American Journal of Health-System Pharmacists (AJHP)
pharmaceutical manufacturer information
specialized drug & poison information centers
Common References
 General Drug Information
 textbooks, PDAs, CD-ROMs, online versions
 Facts and Comparisons Facts & Comparisons®
 Drug Information Handbook
 Pediatric Dosage Handbook information
 Drug Information Handbook for Oncology
 Geriatric Dosage Handbook
 Drug Information Handbook for Psychiatry
 Patient drug information database (Lexi-PALs)
Other Common References
 American Hospital Formulary Service Drug
Information (AHFS DI)
 Clinical Pharmacology
 Micromedex®
 DRUGDEX®
 POISONDEX®
 Material Safety Data Sheets
 CareNotes®
Other Common References
 United States Pharmacopeia Drug Information
(USPDI)
 The Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR)
 Red Book
 Trissel’s Handbook on Injectable Drugs
 Trissel’s Stability of Compounded Formulations
 Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
 Material Safety Data Sheets
 Manufacturers can provide information
Other Resources
 Drug Information Centers
 Poison Control Centers
 Internet
 Pharmaceutical manufacturers

FDA-approved content
 Government sites
 Pharmacy and medical organizations
 Commercial or personal sites
 can contain erroneous and/or misleading
Search Using Medlineplus
 The National Library of Medicine (NLM)
 largest medical library in world
www.medlineplus.gov
Use Following Steps:
1. Go to http://medlineplus.gov
2. Click on “Health Topics.”
3. Diseases & condition
a. first letter of topic
b. broad group (body location or system
c. disorders & conditions
d. diagnosis & therapy
e. demographics,
f. health and wellness
4. Click on “Drugs & Supplements” tab to search for
consumer drug information
Sample Search Pubmed
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Go to www.nlm.nih.gov
Click on “PubMed” on list of databases & resources
In search window, type “pharmacy technicians and
certification”
Hit “enter” key or click “Go”
Results contain all articles with pharmacy technicians &
certification as subjects
More details click on blue hypertext author(s) names
To save multiple citations click checkboxes
Responding DI Request
(DI=Drug Information)
 Search for information
 Organize & evaluate information
 Response
 verbal and/or written reply restates question
 outlines response
 recommendations should be supported by references
 Ask requestor if information useful
 Ask if you can be of further assistance