Associations of gender and age groups on the knowledge and use of drug information resources by American pharmacists

Drug information-seeking behaviours of physicians, nurses and pharmacists: A systematic literature review

BACKGROUND

Medication use typically involves physicians prescribing, pharmacists reviewing, and nurses administering medications to patients. Drug information (DI) is often required during the process, with the various health care professionals (HCPs) seeking information differently according to their needs and familiarity with various resources.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic literature review aims to evaluate studies on drug information-seeking behaviour (ISB) of physicians, nurses and pharmacists to ascertain their DI needs, DI sources used, facilitators and barriers to DI-seeking.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Embase.com, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library to identify eligible primary research articles published between January 2000 and May 2020.

RESULTS

The reviewed studies (N = 48) revealed that HCPs have a wide range of DI needs, with the top needs being similar across the three HCPs. Information sources used most often by all three groups were tertiary, followed by human and primary sources. Factors relating to the source characteristics were the most reported facilitators and barriers to DI-seeking. Some differences in drug ISB were also identified.

CONCLUSION

Our findings can also guide information providers and educators to optimize information provision. It may also facilitate effective communication amongst HCPs when obtaining DI from or providing DI to one another.

Usefulness of a Drug Information Resources Website (SAGASU-DI) Created Based on Inquiries to Clinical Pharmacists

The use of drug information is increasing as the role of pharmacists expands. However, pharmacists spend a huge amount of time collecting drug information, and there has not been any drug information resource website that aims to improve the efficiency of community pharmacists with regard to drug information operations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a drug information resources website (SAGASU-DI). SAGASU-DI articles were created based on inquiries to clinical pharmacists. The usage statistics of the SAGASU-DI were monitored using Google Analytics between May and July 2021. In addition, a pop-up questionnaire was used to evaluate the usefulness of the SAGASU-DI in answering the questions of viewers. Statistics showed that our website had 25,447 users and 33,000 page views, with a browsing time of 29 s on average. Visitors accessed the website through desktop (51.9%) and mobile (44.3%) systems. Community pharmacists accounted for 40.2% of the visitors. The pop-up questionnaire showed that 23.2% of the viewers were satisfied with our website, and 1.5% of the viewers were not. Although 65.1% of the viewers refused to answer the questionnaire, the average percentage of the viewers who were satisfied with the site was 94.1%. The SAGASU-DI was found to be a valuable resource website for drug information services, mainly for community pharmacists.

Determinants of Sexual Abuse Prevention Knowledge among Children’s Schools in West Java Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a severe problem in Indonesia. Adequate knowledge in children about CSA prevention is essential so that children do not become victims. Lack of adequate children’s knowledge of the prevention of CSA may put them at risk for experiencing CSA. This cross-sectional study explores the association factors between knowledge and characteristics regarding the prevention of CSA. The study was conducted in Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Students from grades two to nine at two elementary schools were eligible for the study. Results showed that as sources of information associated with better knowledge of CSA prevention (p = 0.00), teachers and parents significantly contributed to CSA information. Multivariate analysis showed that teachers (OR: 33.479, 95% (CI: 4.467–250.912)) and parents (OR: 45.336, 95% (CI: 10.886–188.807)) significantly contributed as a source of CSA information among students. The findings are essential important implications for interventions intended at preventing CSA. Sexual education programs should be officially applied at schools for children with the support of their parents and teachers.

Evaluation of adverse drug reaction formatting in drug information databases

Objective:

The research evaluated the differences in formatting of adverse drug reaction (ADR) information in drug monographs in commonly used drug information (DI) databases.

Methods:

A cross-sectional analysis of formatting of ADR information for twenty commonly prescribed oral medications in seven commonly used DI databases was performed. Databases were assessed for presentation of ADR information, including presence of placebo comparisons, severity of ADR, onset of ADR, formatting of ADRs in percentile (quantitative) format or qualitative format, whether references were used to cite information, whether ADRs are grouped by organ system, and word count of the ADR section. Data were collected by two study investigators and discrepancies were resolved via consensus. Chi-square analyses and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to evaluate for mean group differences in categorical and continuous data, respectively.

Results:

The seven DI databases varied significantly on each analyzed ADR variable, including variables known to impact interpretation such as placebo comparisons and qualitative versus quantitative formatting. Placebo comparisons were most common among monographs in Micromedex In-Depth Answers (70%) but were absent among monographs in Epocrates, Lexicomp, and Micromedex. Quantitative information was commonly used in most databases but was absent in Epocrates. Average word counts were higher in Clinical Pharmacology and Micromedex In-Depth answers compared to other databases.

Conclusion:

Substantial variation in ADR formatting exists between the most common DI databases. These differences may translate into alternative interpretations of medical information and, thus, impact clinical judgment. Further studies are needed to assess whether these differences impact clinical practice.

[Significance and Role of Academic Detailing for Optimal Medication]

"Academic detailing" is used to clearly explain scientific issues. In the field of clinical practice, "academic detailing" is a form of interactive educational outreach to physicians in order to provide unbiased, non-commercial, evidence-based information about medications and other therapeutic modalities, with the goal of improving patient care. It is necessary to provide proper information about prescription drugs for their appropriate use in clinical practice. However, this requires of physicians significant time and labor to comprehensively collect and summarize all necessary information for the proper clinical application of pharmaceutical products, a task which may be both difficult and prohibitive to a busy physician. However, if clinical experience and other pharmaceutical or treatment information is derived solely from the commercial entities, this may lead to improper prescription practices. In western countries, public funds are used to support universities and other research institution programs. In Canada, clinical pharmacists act as "detailers". Their mission and role is to listen to the needs of the physician or health care professional, to provide objective, evidence-based drug information on selected drug therapy topics, to educate physicians on the optimal use of medications, to provide practical alternatives, and to extend the physician's usable knowledge base. The importance of this "academic detailing" activity is also recognized in Japan, and pharmacists can be expected to act as detailers in the future. We hope that this will lead to improvement in the quality of medical care.

Drug Information Resources Used by Chain Community Pharmacists in Tennessee

Background: Community pharmacists are a highly utilized drug information resource for patients and health care providers. Good retrieval skills and the availability of credible references are key to providing necessary information. Objective: This study aimed to identify the types of drug information resources used by chain community pharmacists in Tennessee. Methods: A phone survey was conducted by a trained pharmacy student to 39 pharmacists working at chain community pharmacies. Demographic questions, types of drug information resources available, Internet availability, smartphone applications (apps) used, and most common drug information questions received were identified. Results: Electronic tertiary drug resources were used by the majority of pharmacists, with the top 2 resources being Clinical Pharmacology and Facts and Comparisons. Seventy-four percent of pharmacists surveyed used smartphone apps to access information more quickly. Few pharmacists stated access to primary literature, while 4 pharmacists cited using the secondary resource PubMed. The 2 most commonly asked questions were concerning adverse drug reactions and side effects. Conclusions: Electronic drug information resources are widely available and utilized. In order to comply with all of the demands that a pharmacists comes across, these resources need to be very familiar and easy to operate from an efficiency stand-point.