Drug Information Activities in Academic Health Centers: A 1996 Survey
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0092-8615/98 Copyright 0 1998 Drug Information Association Inc.
DRUG INFORMATION ACTIVITIES IN ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTERS: A 1996 SURVEY KARLA. MATUSZEWSKI, MS, PHARMD Director of Technology Assessment
PAULA. WINDISCH,PHARMD Fellow Clinical Practice Advancement Center, University Healthsystem Consortium, Oak Brook, Illinois
University HealthS.wtem Consortium (UHC) member-based drug information centers (DICs) were surveyed to obtain current information on the availability and scope of services provided. Surveys were mailed in early August 1996 to 70 UHC members believed to have formal drug information centers. The survey consisted of questions related to size, workload, administration, operations, services, and education features. The results were collected and compared among responding UHC members. Through September 1996, 33 responses were received. Of those responding, 23 indicated having formal DICs. The volume of drug-information related phone calls steadily increased until 1994, whereby they plateaued and then decreased in 1995. UHC member DICs provide many services including the writing of drug monographs and newsletters, drug use evaluations (DUE), adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting, pharmacoeconomics, education, and the traditional service of providing answers to drug-infomation requests. The information obtained from the survey demonstrates that DIC services are moving toward drug policy development, health economics, and information system use. Areas for future research on DIC activities might include looking at the sources of drug information requests, whether hospitals are contracting out f o r drug-information, and the actual time allocated to DIC services. Key Words: Drug information; Drug information centers, Pharmaceutical; Pharmacy services; Pharmacy
INTRODUCTION THE HoSPITAL Or systembased drug information center (DIC) was established at the University of Kentucky in 1962 primarily to become “a source of selected, comprehensive drug information for
Reprint address: Karl A. Matuszewski, MS, PharmD, Director. Clinical Practice Advancement Center. University Healthsystem Consortium, 2001 Spring Rd., Suite 700 Oak Brook, 1L 60523-1 890.
staff physicians and dentists to evaluate and compare drugs” (1). Since then, the number of DICs has grown. Today, there are over 150 DICs in the United States. Although the number of centers is no longer increasing, the services being provided have become more sophisticated (2). These services may include information retrieval, critical review of the literature, drug policy-making, drug use eval‘ation, phamacoeconomics~ teaching9 and tracking and reporting adverse drug reactions. In fact, drug/medical information has
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Karl A. Matuszewski and Paul A. Windisch
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evolved into a specialized area of pharmacy practice. The growth and activities of DICs have been documented in numerous reports (2-9). In 1994 the Consortium for the Advancement of Medication Information, Policy, and R
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