Problem-oriented drug information: physicians’ expectations and impact on clinical practice

Abstract

Purpose Problem-oriented drug information (POD) is a service in which health professionals provide evidencebased answers to clinical questions posed by physicians. The objective of this study was to evaluate the user satisfaction and clinical impact of POD, to investigate predictors for use and to examine the kind of sources physicians search before applying for POD. Methods To evaluate POD, a questionnaire was distributed with problem-oriented answers sent from a drug information centre to physicians during the period of April 2006 to March 2007. Results Of 197 questionnaires, 183 (93%) were returned. The information from the POD service was highly valued by the physicians, and 90% of the answers led to reported impact on clinical practice in the specific clinical situation. Furthermore, 74% of the answers were intended to be used in a wider context either for future patients (67%) or for dissemination to colleagues (51%). Secondary-care physicians more often than general practitioners (GPs) used the information for dissemination to colleagues (63 vs. 39%, P=0.0008), while GPs more often used the answer to support patient information (88 vs. 70%, P=0.0029). The most prominent motive for applying for POD was a request for evidencebased information (78%), and the service was used to overcome barriers to practicing evidence-based medicine such as lack of time (36%), skills for searching (26%), and appraising the literature (13%). Before inquiring, 74% of the physicians had tried other information sources; the most frequent sources used were a drug reference (68%) and consulting a colleague (24%). Secondary-care physicians reported fewer barriers than GPs when seeking information, and secondary-care physicians searched other sources more often than GPs before contacting the service (81 vs. 67%, P=0.031). Conclusion POD represents a useful source for acquiring evidence-based drug information by physicians. POD is highly valued by the users. It was reported to have an impact on clinical practice for the specific patient but is also intended to be used in a wider context for future patients or for dissemination to colleagues. GPs' and secondary-care physicians' use of POD differs with GPs having more focus on patient information and secondary-care physicians having more focus on dissemination of the information to colleagues.

Drug interaction databases in medical literature: transparency of ownership, funding, classification algorithms, level of documentation, and staff qualifications. A systematic review

“…While discrepancies among drug-drug interaction databases are well documented, no studies have systematically addressed and compared the transparency of ownership, funding, information, classifications, staff training, and underlying documentation among drug interaction databases [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. In the light of the discrepancies between drug interaction databases, such information is imperative to users seeking decision support in order to act upon such with confidence [8,21,22].…”

“…Numerous online drugdrug interaction databases (DIDs) are available as open access or subscription resource [4][5][6][7]. Unfortunately, these often provide little consensus, if not even contradictory advice, much to the frustration of the health-care provider [4,5,[7][8][9]. Studies comparing DIDs have found substantial variations in severity classification and in the availability of underlying references and accessed knowledge resources [4][5][6][7][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

A question–answer pair (QAP) database integrated with websites to answer complex questions submitted to the Regional Medicines Information and Pharmacovigilance Centres in Norway (RELIS): a descriptive study

“…A DIC in Denmark reported a median time to answer (final answer in contrast to preliminary answer) of 25 days among satisfied physicians and 56 days among unsatisfied physicians 9. In our material, the median time before a written answer was submitted to the questioner was 2 days and 1 day in the periods 1995–2000 and 2001–2006, respectively.…”

Adverse Effects of Drugs and Toxins on the Liver

“…physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives and pharmacists, non-commercial information about drug treatment, drug problems and pharmaceuticals (Hedegaard & Damkier, 2009;Schjøtt et al 2002). The RELIS network is today made up by the four regional drug information centres (DICs) in Norway.…”