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BACKGROUND: The advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT introduces opportunities within the medical field. Nonetheless, use of LLM poses a risk when healthcare practitioners and patients present clinical questions to these programs without a comprehensive understanding of its suitability for clinical contexts.OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess ChatGPT's ability to generate appropriate responses to clinical questions that hospital pharmacists could encounter during routine patient care.METHODS: Thirty questions from 10 different domains within clinical pharmacy were collected during routine care. Questions were presented to ChatGPT in a standardized format, including patients' age, sex, drug name, dose, and indication. Subsequently, relevant information regarding specific cases were provided, and the prompt was concluded with the query "what would a hospital pharmacist do?". The impact on accuracy was assessed for each domain by modifying personification to "what would you do?", presenting the question in Dutch, and regenerating the primary question. All responses were independently evaluated by two senior hospital pharmacists, focusing on the availability of an advice, accuracy and concordance.RESULTS: In 77% of questions, ChatGPT provided an advice in response to the question. For these responses, accuracy and concordance were determined. Accuracy was correct and complete for 26% of responses, correct but incomplete for 22% of responses, partially correct and partially incorrect for 30% of responses and completely incorrect for 22% of responses. The reproducibility was poor, with merely 10% of responses remaining consistent upon regeneration of the primary question.CONCLUSIONS: While concordance of responses was excellent, the accuracy and reproducibility were poor. With the described method, ChatGPT should not be used to address questions encountered by hospital pharmacists during their shifts. Howeve

Purpose: This study aimed to explore physicians’ use of drug information in professional work, with special focus on those working in primary care, and also in relation to personal characteristics of physicians. Methods: A web-based questionnaire was distributed by e-mail to physicians in five regions in Sweden. The questions concerned drug-related queries at issue when searching for information, sources used, and factors of importance for the choice of source, as well as responder characteristics. Results: A total of 3254 (85%) out of 3814 responding physicians stated that they searched for drug information every week. For physicians working in primary health care, the corresponding number was 585 (96%). The most common drug-related issues searched for by 76% of physicians every week concerned pharmacotherapeutic aspects (e.g., dosing), followed by adverse drug reactions (63%). For 3349 (88%) physicians, credibility was the most important factor for the choice of sources of drug information, followed by easy access online (n = 3127, 82%). Further analyses among physicians in primary care showed that some personal characteristics, like seniority, sex, and country of education, as well as research experience, were associated with usage and preferences of drug information sources. Conclusions: This study confirms that physicians often use drug information sources in professional work, in particular those who work in primary health care. Credibility and easy access are key factors for usage. Among physicians in primary care, personal factors influenced the choice of drug information sources.

This book is going to highlight the many legal issues. To educate the people and give legal awareness to the entire society. In legal perspective the people who doesn't know what is right and wrong, they believe in all. The author gives various dimensions in new laws and added more chapters regarding in new aspects. In surrogacy laws, LGBTQ+, Right to religion is a very much fundamental right and various concepts. As a law academician, she has penned the book on the title of corporate law with specific reference to issues and challenges and she had been authored the book of Language barrier among the law students, she had been authored, edited, presented the papers, conducted seminars, conferences etc… For more than a decade she has been serving as a law teacher. This book has been gives very good ideas about the contemporary legal issues. See you later in other topic of new law book.

Läkemedelsetiketter är viktiga för att kunna hantera receptbelagda läkemedel på rätt sätt. Äldre människor är de som i störst utsträckning hämtar ut och använder receptbelagda läkemedel. Läkemedelsverket har för tillfället inga riktlinjer eller bestämmelser gällande hur etiketterna ska se ut. Däremot finns bestämmelser för vilken information de ska innehålla. Utformningen av etiketterna är upp till varje apotekskedja att göra tydlig och begriplig. Studier har visat att etiketterna är bristfälliga på flera olika sätt. Syftet med denna studie är att skapa ett kompletterande material till läkemedelsetiketterna, som tydliggör informationen med hjälp av applicering av lämpliga designfaktorer. Tanken är att materialet ska komma från apotekskedjorna och ges till läkemedelsanvändare efter behov. Metoderna observation, intervju och analys av data har tillämpats för att ta reda på användargruppens preferenser och behov. Tillsammans med litteraturstudier och tidigare forskning, som omfattat läslighet, teknikinformation och kognition, har jag tagit fram ettgestaltningsförslag som är menat att gynna äldre personers hantering av läkemedel. Studien har resulterat i att placering av de olika textelementen, teckenstorleken, formuleringen av doseringsinstruktionen och isoleringseffekten haft en betydande roll för att användargruppen ska anse det kompletterande materialet som tydligt och begripligt., Drug labels are important to be able to manage prescription drugs properly. Older people are the ones who, to the greatest extent, pick up and use prescription drugs. The Swedish Medical Products Agency currently has no guidelines or regulations regarding what the labels should look like. However, there are provisions for what information they should contain. The design of the labels is up to each pharmacy chain to make clear and understandable. Studies have shown that the labels are deficient in several different ways. The aim of this study is to create a complementary material to the drug labels, which clarifies the information by applying appropriate design factors. The idea is that the material should come from pharmacy chains and be given to the medicationuser as needed. The methods observation, interview and analysis of data have been applied to find out the user group's preferences and needs. Together with literature studies and previous research, which included legibility, technical information and cognition, I have developed a design proposal that is intended to benefit the medication management for older adults. The study has resulted in that the placement of the various text elements, the font size, the formulation of the dosing instruction and the isolation effect have had a significant role forthe user group to consider the supplementary material as clear and comprehensible.

Introduction Correct interpretation of drug labels instructions (DLIs) is needed for safe use and better adherence to prescribed drugs. DLIs are often too difficult for patients, especially for those with limited health literacy. What is yet unknown, is how specific textual elements in DLIs (e.g., the presentation of numbers, or use of medical jargon) and patients’ health literacy skills are related to the comprehension of DLIs. In order to provide concrete directions for health professionals on how to optimize drug prescriptions, we performed a systematic review to summarize the available research findings on which textual elements facilitate or hinder the correct interpretation of DLIs in relation to patients’ health literacy. Method A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Smartcat (until April 2019) to identify studies investigating textual elements that facilitate or hinder the correct interpretation of DLIs in relation to patients’ health literacy. Results A total of 434 studies were identified of which 28 studies met our inclusion criteria. We found that textual elements contributing to the correct interpretation of DLIs were: using explicit time periods in dosage instructions, using plain language, presenting numbers in a numerical format, and providing DLIs in patients’ native language. Multistep instructions per instruction line, using abbreviations and medical jargon seem to hinder the correct interpretation of DLIs. Although health literacy was taken into account in a majority of the studies, none of them assessed the effectiveness of specific textual elements on patients’ comprehensibility of DLIs. Conclusion Based on our findings, we provide an overview of textual elements that contribute to the correct interpretation of DLIs. Optimizing the textual instruction on drug labels may increase the safety and adherence to prescribed drugs, taking into account that a significant proportion of patients has low health literacy.

Drug information (DI) services provided an avenue to expand the role of pharmacists as the medication experts. The focus of DI has shifted from general questions submitted to DI centers to patient-specific questions that optimize care. One method to increase access to pharmacist expertise is through pharmacy eConsults. Pharmacy eConsults provide specialist care for medically complex patients using a patient-centered, asynchronous approach. The purpose of this article is to describe the evolution of consults from formal drug information services and describe one academic medical center's implementation of a pharmacy eConsult service to provide patient-specific DI.

Discrepancies between registered prescriptions and patients' actual use of medications are described as frequent and often resulting in adverse medication events. We aimed to assess the extent of and causes behind discrepancies between medications listed in the Danish national prescription system (Shared Medication Record) and patients' actual use of medications. We prospectively reconciled medication for 260 consecutively admitted polypharmacy patients (>50 years and ≥5 prescriptions) at two hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark. The type of discrepancies were determined and the cause of the discrepancies were evaluated as primarily caused by (1) the patient (i.e., intentional or unintentional non-adherence) or (2) the health care system (i.e., lack of appropriate update of the SMR by physicians in primary or secondary care). There was a median of 12 [IQR 9–15] medications listed and 3 [IQR 1–5] medication discrepancies per patient (total n = 925). The majority (53%) of discrepancies were caused by the health care system, 32% were caused by the patients, of which 70% were intentional non-adherence, and 15% had an indeterminable cause. In conclusion, discrepancies between medications listed in the Shared Medication Record and actual use of medications were frequent and were most often caused by clinicians not updating the prescription information.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacy graduates are expected to be practice-ready to deliver quality patient care, which includes having comprehensive knowledge of health informatics and electronic medical records (EMRs). The purpose of this study was to (1) incorporate an EMR within a pharmacy student assignment, and (2) assess student perceptions of use of the EMR. METHODS: Student pharmacists received a patient-specific drug-related question and were required to use an EMR to provide an accurate response. Following completion of the assignment, students were invited to complete a retrospective, pre-post survey instrument to collect their perceptions. RESULTS: Only 28.8% of respondents reported prior experience using an EMR. Student perceptions about use of an EMR within the didactic setting significantly improved from before to after the assignment. Differences were found in respondents who agreed that didactic use of an EMR increased their confidence in obtaining information from an EMR (20.5% to 82.8%) and improved their knowledge of EMR systems (61.4% to 89.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an EMR within didactic instruction may serve as the first exposure to health informatics for students and positively impacts student perceptions of these tools prior to entry into pharmacy practice.

AIM: Tablets may be subdivided for dose adaptations or to ease swallowing. The handling is common in older patients but can be difficult and inaccurate. Currently, it is not known which hand-eye functions are determining the ability of older people to break tablets by hand and to do so with acceptable ease and accuracy. The aim of this study was to develop a test battery to assess the hand-eye functions relevant in predicting easy and accurate tablet subdivision in older people. METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted including literature reviews and a pilot experiment. The reviews were conducted in Pubmed, Google Scholar, Dutch journals and professional standards. The first review tried to identify the hand-eye functions relevant to tablet subdivision and the second the associated measuring instruments, testing protocols and normative data. A test battery was empanelled. A pilot experiment was conducted in 30 adult volunteers to optimize and evaluate the test battery. RESULTS: Five domains were considered relevant: hand size, hand strength, flexibility/manual dexterity, vision, coordination. Hand size can best be measured by finger circumference, hand strength by pinch- and grip strength, flexibility by active range of joint motion, manual dexterity (and flexibility, coordination, cognition, vision) by pegboard function, vision by near visual acuity. Older people preferred the use of tablet splitters over hand breaking. CONCLUSION: Easy and accurate tablet subdivision is essential to the good use of medicines. We developed a test battery for older people, but likely of value to all age groups.

A pharmacy is a place where pharmacists do their pharmaceutical work, serving directly and responsibly for patients who need their professional services. One form of direct service is the provision of drug information and counseling. The purpose of this study was to describe the drug information services provided by pharmaceutical personnel in the South Tangerang area pharmacy for patients who redeemed prescriptions using antibiotics. Patient simulation method was used to collect data to 100 pharmacies that were randomly selected based on data in the city health office. Recommendations were obtained from the South Tangerang branch of the Indonesian Pharmacists Association while ethical clearance was obtained from the ethical committee of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that 85% percent of pharmaceutical personnel who provide drug information for simulated patients are non-pharmacists. The most widely conveyed drug information items were the frequency of drug use delivered by 82% of pharmacists, received by the intended use (61%) and time of use (44%). Not related to pharmacy officers who submit the following information: drug interactions and ways to prevent them, side effects of drugs and how to prevent them; food and drinks that must be avoided as well as how to store drugs. As many as 49% of pharmacists provide additional antibiotics requested by patients without a prescription. Drug information points provided by pharmacy staff specifically by pharmacist had not been maximally delivered.

Drug reference resource containing British standards for medicines and preparations.

Drug reference resource containing British standards for medicines and preparations.

Background: Medication communication from physicians to patients often is poor, by this among others enhancing the risk of non-adherence. In this context, a neglect regarding the prescription talk has been complained.Aim of the project: In a newly developed elective medical students work on physician-patient conversations dealing with drug prescription. Essential aspects related to an effective and safe drug treatment are combined with steps of shared decision-making. Together with a tutor, students develop a (model) conversation guide that might be tailored according to individual needs and views.Description/Methods: In a one-week course 3rd-5th year medical students treat a paper case according to problem-based learning. This is accompanied by a one-hour lecture and literature provided on an online learning platform (ILIAS). During a workshop, aspects of drug treatment and patient participation are integrated into a guide for a prescription talk. At the end of the week the students are invited to apply the (if need be individualized) guide in a simulated physician-patient communication with an actor. The conversation is evaluated using a checklist based upon the (model) conversation guide.Results: Informal and formalized feedback indicate high acceptance and satisfaction of participants with this elective. The checklist turned out to be of acceptable to good reliability with mostly selective items. Portfolio entries and written evaluation suggest that participants' positions and attitudes are influenced., Hintergrund: Die Arzt-Patient-Kommunikation über die Arzneitherapie zeigt häufig Defizite, was u.a. eine unzureichende medikamentöse Adhärenz zur Folge haben kann. Vernachlässigt wurde in diesem Zusammenhang lange Zeit das Verordnungsgespräch.Zielsetzung: Im neu konzipierten Wahlpflichtblock setzen sich Studierende der Humanmedizin aktiv mit Arzt-Patient-Gesprächen im Rahmen der Arzneiverordnung auseinander. Berücksichtigung finden wesentliche Aspekte einer sicheren und effektiven Arzneitherapie sowie das Modell der Partizipativen Entscheidungsfindung. Unter Anleitung entwickeln die Studierenden einen Gesprächsleitfaden, dessen Anwendung auch individuellen Bedürfnissen und Vorstellungen Rechnung tragen soll. Beschreibung/Methoden: In diesem einwöchigen Kurs erarbeiten sich die Studierenden wichtige Hintergrundinformationen anhand eines Fallbeispiels im Rahmen des Problem-basierten Lernens. Unterstützt werden sie durch ein Impulsreferat und auf einer elektronischen Lernplattform angebotene Literatur. Die gemeinsame Synthese der Aspekte zu Arzneitherapie und Patientenbeteiligung in Form eines Gesprächsleitfadens erfolgt in einem interaktiven Workshop. Am Ende der Woche können die Studierenden sich und den (Muster-) Leitfaden in einem mit einem Schauspielerpatienten simulierten Verordnungsgespräch ausprobieren, das anhand einer Checkliste beurteilt wird.Ergebnisse: Informelle Rückmeldungen und die standardisierte fakultätsweite elektronische Evaluation zeigen ein hohe Akzeptanz und große Zufriedenheit seitens der Studierenden. Die Checkliste erlaubt eine weitgehend reliable Beurteilung der Gespräche anhand überwiegend trennscharfer Items. Portfolioeinträge und Freitextevaluationen sprechen dafür, dass bei den Teilnehmern Einstellungen und Haltungen beeinflusst werden.

A reference for practitioners working with older people. It contains the latest evidence-based, peer reviewed information and is useful when conducting Medication Reviews., Summary of licence

Australian drug reference resource for paediatric dosing, linked to the Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH). Includes drug monographs, recommendations, drug calculators and other guides., Summary of licence User Limit - Unlimited

*Despite recent changes in attitudes, most hospitals continue to experience pharmaceutical industry presence. *Pharmaceutical industry presence may be necessary and beneficial in the context of sponsorship of clinical trials with appropriate governance. Doctors continue to hold positive attitudes towards market-oriented activities of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. *Despite evidence to the contrary, doctors believe they are able to effectively manage pharmaceutical sales representative interactions such that their own prescribing is not adversely impacted. *Doctors also share a belief that small gifts and benefits are harmless. *There may be significant financial burden associated with divestment of such sponsorship by hospitals. *Change requires education and effective policies to manage pharmaceutical industry relationships and conflicts of interest. *We discuss case studies involving students and public hospital doctors to show that divestment is possible without significant financial detriment. *Health services need to be proactive in transitioning financial and cultural reliance on pharmaceutical industry sponsorship to other potentially less harmful sources.Copyright © 2016 AMPCo Pty Ltd.

Kaikki potilaiden hoitoon osallistuvat terveydenhuollon ammattilaiset, myös lähihoi-tajat, tarvitsevat työssään lääkeinformaatiota. Lääkeinformaatiostrategian yksi tavoite on, että terveydenhuollon ammattilaiset käyttävät luotettavia tiedonlähteitä ja palve-luja. Kansallisen lääkeinformaatioverkoston Lääkeinformaatiota ammattilaisille –työ-ryhmän keskeisenä tavoitteena on edistää luotettavan lääkeinformaation saatavuutta eri sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon toimintaympäristöissä. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, millaisia potilas- ja lääkitysturvallisuuden kannalta oleellisia lääkeinformaatiotarpeita lähihoitajilla oli ja mitä lääkeinformaa-tiolähteitä he käyttivät. Tutkimus keskittyi erityisesti niin sanotuilla lääkehoidon epä-tyypillisillä alueilla kuten kouluissa ja päiväkodeissa sekä kotihoidossa ja sosiaalihuol-lossa työskenteleviin Suomen lähi- ja perushoitajaliittoon (SuPer) kuuluviin lähi- ja perushoitajiin. Lääkeinformaatiota ammattilaisille –työryhmän ja SuPerin yhteistyönä toteutettiin säh-köinen kysely joulukuussa 2013 – tammikuussa 2014. SuPerin jäsenrekisteristä valit-tiin 1000 lähi- tai perushoitajaa satunnaisotannalla. Aineiston analyysimenetelmiä oli-vat suorat jakaumat, ristiintaulukointi, Kruskal-Wallis –testi sekä Mann-Whitney U-testi. Avoimet vastaukset analysoitiin teemoittelemalla ja ryhmittelemällä. Kyselyn vastausprosentti oli 67 (n = 666). Lähihoitajat käyttivät lääkeinformaatioläh-teistä pakkausselostetta, Terveysporttia tai kysyivät kollegalta. Mieluiten käytettäisiin Terveysporttia ja pakkausselostetta. Lähihoitajien lääkeinformaatiotarpeita olivat eten-kin lääkkeiden yhteisvaikutukset (86 %) ja haittavaikutukset (63 %). Lisäksi tietoa kai-vattiin rinnakkaislääkkeistä. Nykyisiin lääkeinformaatiokanaviin oltiin tyytyväisiä. Li-sätietoa lääkehoidoista koki tarvitsevansa päivittäin 14 % ja viikoittain 31 % vastaa-jista. 82 % hyötyisi työssään apteekin palveluista. Lähihoitajista 64 %:lla oli aina tai useimmiten mobiililaite tiedonh, Healthcare professionals in patient care, including practical nurses, need medicines in-formation in their work. One strategic goal in national Medicines Information Strategy in Finland is to make sure, that healthcare professionals use reliable information sources and services. One part of the national medicines information network in Finland is work-ing group on medicines information for healthcare professionals. It’s central aim is to advance availability of reliable medicines information in different environments in so-cial- and healthcare. Objective of this study was to explore medicines information sources and needs among practical nurses. This study concentrated on practical nurses who work in atypical areas of medical care (for example at school and day care), homecare and social care and were members of The Finnish Union of Practical Nurses. Survey was made in co-operation by working group on medicines information for healthcare professionals and The Finnish Union of Practical Nurses. The survey was carried out in December 2013 – January 2014 by e-mail. The random sample consisted of 1 000 practical nurses. The material was analyzed using direct distributions, cross tabulation, Kruskal-Wallis –test and Mann-Whitney U-test. Open ended questions were analyzed by qualitative methods. The response rate was 67 (n = 666). The most commonly utilized medicines information among practical nurses were package leaflets (PL) and medical database Terveysportti. Those sources were also the most preferred ones. Practical nurses reported they would like to have additional medicines information about drug-drug interactions (86 %) and adverse effects (63 %). Information was also needed about generic drugs. The majority of practical nurses in this study were satisfied with current medicines information sources. Additional information about pharmacological treatment was needed by re-spondents, 14 % daily and 31 % weekly. 82 % of respondents would benefit from phar-macy’s servi

Health and biomedical journal articles and research in all health-related disciplines., Summary of licence

Background: The wide offer of information on pharmaceuticals does not often fulfill physicians' needs: problems of relevance, access, quality and applicability are widely recognized, and doctors often rely on their own experience and expert opinions rather than on available evidence. A quali-quantitative research was carried out in Italy to provide an overview on information seeking behavior and information needs of doctors, in particular of infectious disease specialists, and to suggest an action plan for improving relevance, quality and usability of scientific information. Methods: We did a quantitative survey and three focus groups. Two hundred infectious disease specialists answered a 24-item questionnaire aimed at investigating features of scientific information they receive and their ratings about its completeness, quality and usability. Subsequent focus groups, each involving eight specialists, investigated their opinions on information sources and materials, and their suggestions on how these could better support their information needs. Results: The quantitative survey indicated doctors' appreciation of traditional channels (especially drug representatives) and information materials (brochures), but also their attitude to autonomous search of information and their wish to have more digital channels available. Focus groups provided more depth and, not surprisingly, revealed that physicians consider critical to get complete, comparative and specific information quickly, but also that they would like to discuss their doubts with expert colleagues. Quite strikingly, limited concerns were expressed on information validity, potential biases and conflicts of interests, as scientific validity seems to be related to the perceived authoritativeness of information sources rather than to the availability of a transparent evaluation framework. Although this research investigated views of infectious disease specialists, we believe that their opinions and perceived needs

Oral oxycodone/naloxone preparations are designed to reduce the incidence of constipation associated with oxycodone use. The low oral bioavailability (< 2%) of naloxone makes the precipitation of the acute opioid withdrawal symptoms unlikely following oral oxycodone/naloxone exposure. The incidence of acute opioid withdrawal symptoms following both oral and intravenous administration of oxycodone/naloxone preparations has not been described. Objective. The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence and circumstances associated with oxycodone/naloxone-induced acute opioid withdrawal. Methods. An observational case series of acute opioid withdrawal following oxycodone/naloxone administration were selected from all calls received by the Victoria Poisons Information Centre from January 2012 to December 2014. Data collected included patient demographics, reported symptoms, type of caller, intentional or accidental exposure and advice given. Results. There were 107 reported exposures to oxycodone/naloxone preparations. Route of exposure was oral in 92 (86%) and intravenous injection of crushed tablets in 14 (14%) of cases, respectively. Nine callers had a history of long-standing opioid treatment and developed withdrawal symptoms with oral oxycodone/naloxone. Temporal relationship between first dose, increased dose and chewing tablets was described. There were 14 exposures to crushed oxycodone/naloxone tablets injected intravenously; all precipitated an acute withdrawal state. Discussion. The development of opioid withdrawal symptoms with intravenous injection of oxycodone/naloxone is likely a result of bypassing first-pass metabolism. Withdrawal symptoms after ingesting increased dose, first dose or chewing oxycodone/naloxone suggests that there is a systemic absorption of naloxone in opioid-dependent callers. Conclusion. Oxycodone with naloxone tablets can lead to acute opioid withdrawal symptoms if crushed and injected parentally. First dose, increased dose and

Bakgrund: Äldre personer över 65 år står för största delen av läkemedelskonsumtionen i Sverige. Läkemedelsanvändningen har ökat kraftigt och syns främst bland äldre på särskilda boende. Sannolikheten att drabbas av biverkningar bland äldre ökar ju fler läkemedel en person använder. Att flera äldre vårdas på sjukhus som ett resultat av effekter av olika läkemedel tyder på ett stort behov av information och undervisning i läkemedelshantering. Detta ställer allt högre krav på sjuksköterskans roll med avseende på läkemedelsinformation på särskilda boenden. Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors syn på äldres läkemedelsinformation inom särskilda boenden. Metod: Uppsatsen har genomförts som en intervjustudie med kvalitativ design och omfattar intervjuer med sex legitimerade sjuksköterskor. Samtliga deltagare arbetar på olika särskilda boenden inom Stockholmsområdet. Metoden för analysen var en induktiv kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet består av fyra huvudteman med tillhörande sju teman. Huvudteman indelas i Betydelsefulla aspekter inför läkemedelsinformation, Äldres intresse att få information styr vilken uppmärksamhet och tid de får, Tidsbrist och stress påverkar förmågan att ge och ta emot information och Sjuksköterskans etiska och moraliska reflektioner. Diskussion: Det kognitiva hälsotillståndet hos de äldre verkade vara avgörande för hur och om informationen skulle ges. Sjuksköterskornas möjlighet och sätt att informera de äldre påverkades även av andra faktorer. Många av svårigheterna som hindrade en adekvat kommunikation i samband med läkemedelsinformation var mest kopplade till sjuksköterskans höga arbetsbelastning och tidsbrist.

Find the use, effects, interactions, saftey and effectiveness of natural medicines and dietary supplements., Gives up-to-date information on most every herbal and dietary supplement used in the western world, with extensive search features to find the use, adverse effects, interactions, safety, and effectiveness of each natural medicine. Summary of licence

In the present study, we established a practical training program for drug information involving active participation based on the "Model Core Curriculum for Practical Training". Our subjects were 20 third or fourth year students from 8 universities who underwent practical training at the Department of Pharmacy, Mie University Hospital from February through August 2006. We used small group discussions based on the "KJ method" devised by Jiro Kawakita and simulated meetings of the pharmaceutical deliberation committee in which debate took place. A questionnaire using a descriptive format was administered to evaluate student opinions just before and after the training and a ten-grade VAS (Visual Analog Scale) was applied to the evaluation obtained just after the training was completed. Achievement of individual objectives was 18% in consideration of the number of training hours compared with those specified in the Model Core Curriculum and 92% in consideration of numbers of objectives. Based on questionnaire responses, understanding of the details of objectives tended to be better after the training that before it. VAS scores for satisfaction with the training as regards content and hours were 9.0±1.1 and 7.0±2.0 (mean±S.D.), respectively. The small group discussions based on the "KJ method" were helpful in obtaining the opinions of students and summarizing them in a short period of time and were useful in achieving drug information training based on active participation. The combination of small group discussions and active debate with drug information training enabled the training objectives to be comprehensively achieved.

Australian drug information, including interactions and safety and consumer information., Summary of licence

AIMS Relevant and easily accessible drug information at point-of-care is essential for physicians' decision making when prescribing. However, the information available by using Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) often does not meet physicians' requirements. The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) is statutory information about drugs. However, the current structure, content and format of SmPCs make it difficult to incorporate them into CDSSs and link them to relevant patient information from the Electronic Health Records. The aim of the study was to evaluate the perceived needs for drug information among physicians in Sweden. METHODS We recruited three focus group discussions with 18 physicians covering different specialities. The information from the groups was combined with a questionnaire administered at the beginning of the group discussions. RESULTS Physicians reported their needs for knowledge databases at the point of drug prescribing. This included more consistent information about existing and new drugs. They also wished to receive automatically generated alerts for severe drug-drug interactions and adverse effects, and to have functions for calculating glomerular filtration rate to enable appropriate dose adjustments to be made for elderly patients and those with impaired renal function. Additionally, features enhancing electronic communication with colleagues and making drug information more searchable were suggested. CONCLUSIONS The results from the current study showed the need for knowledge databases which provide consistent information about new and existing drugs. Most of the required information from physicians appeared to be possible to transfer from current SmPCs to CDSSs. However, inconsistencies in the SmPC information have to be reduced to enhance their utility.

Background: We evaluated the efficacy of a single fixed 6 mg dose of pegfilgrastim (a pegylated version of filgrastim) per cycle of chemotherapy, compared with daily administration of filgrastim, in the provision of neutrophil support. Patients and Methods: Patients (n = 157) were randomized to receive either a single 6 mg subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of pegfilgrastim or daily 5 mg/kg s.c. injections of filgrastim, after doxorubicin and docetaxel chemotherapy (60 mg/m2 and 75 mg/m2, respectively). Duration of grade 4 neutropenia, depth of neutrophil nadir, incidence of febrile neutropenia, time to neutrophil recovery and safety information were recorded. Result(s): A single 6 mg injection of pegfilgrastim was as effective as daily injections of filgrastim for all efficacy measures for all cycles. The mean duration of grade 4 neutropenia in cycle 1 was 1.8 and 1.6 days for the pegfilgrastim and filgrastim groups, respectively. Results for all efficacy end points in cycles 2-4 were consistent with the results from cycle 1. A trend towards a lower incidence of febrile neutropenia was noted across all cycles with pegfilgrastim compared with filgrastim (13% versus 20%, respectively). A single fixed dose of pegfilgrastim was as safe and well tolerated as standard daily filgrastim. Conclusion(s): A single fixed dose of pegfilgrastim administered once per cycle of chemotherapy was comparable to multiple daily injections of filgrastim in safely providing neutrophil support during myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Pegfilgrastim may have utility in other clinical settings of neutropenia.

Access drug information, as well as selected investigational and veterinary drugs, herbal and complementary medicines, vitamins, drugs of abuse and recreational drugs, toxic substances, disinfectants and pesticides., Summary of licence

Access information and clicnical resources on the administration and use of drugs, including drug interactions, dosage, adverse reactions and more., 1 simultaneous user limit (for each of the subscribed titles).

Antecedentes: En la actualidad los medios de comunicación se constituyen como la principal fuente de información de la que se nutren los jóvenes. No obstante, y pese a la gran cantidad y variedad de mensajes disponibles, la información no siempre se construye adecuadamente debido a las frecuentes discrepancias con las que los medios de comunicación suelen exponerla. En referencia al tratamiento informativo que los diversos medios confieren a temas relacionados con la salud en general, y de forma más concreta sobre temas referentes a las drogas, es muy frecuente que la percepción tienda hacia un sensacionalismo exacerbado y una gran descontextualización de la información, lo que incide negativamente en la credibilidad que se otorga a los diversos medios. Metodología: En este estudio piloto se analiza la relación existente entre el grado de credibilidad que los jóvenes encuestados conceden a los distintos medios de comunicación, tanto si se refiere a información en general como si se refiere a temas sobre drogas. De igual modo, se indaga la relación existente entre el grado de información objetivo que poseen los sujetos sobre las distintas sustancias y la percepción del tratamiento que los medios de comunicación dan a la información sobre drogas. Para ello, participaron en el estudio 115 alumnos (27% varones y 73% mujeres) de primero de grado en Psicología, de la Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (Alicante-España). Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran correlaciones positivas del grado de credibilidad otorgado a los diversos medios, tanto si se trata sobre temas de información general como sobre temas relacionados con las drogas. Por otra parte, los jóvenes mantienen diferentes percepciones sobre el tratamiento que realizan los medios de comunicación de las noticias y contenidos sobre drogas, en función del nivel de información objetivo que poseen de las distintas sustancias de abuso., Background: Actually media are the first information source for young people. Notwithstanding, in spite of quantity and variety of available messages, information is not always built properly because of frequent discrepancies media usually expose it. With reference to the informative treatment that media brings to health issues in general, and more specific about drug issues, it’s frequent that perception tend to a big sensationalism and non-contextualized information, what has a negative bearing on credibility over media. Methodology: In this pilot study it’s analyzed the relation between credibility degree given by young people polled to different media, whether is referred to general information or is referred to drug issues. In the same way, it’s investigated the relation between information degree about different substances and perception over treatment that media give to drug information. For that, 115 students (27% men and 73% women) of 1st Grade in Psychology in Miguel Hernandez University (Spain) participated in this study. Conclusions: Results shows positive correlations about credibility degree given to different media, whether is about general information or drug issues. In the other hand, young people keep different perceptions about media treatment of news and issues contents, based on objective information level about different drugs.

The Special Subject Collection of Braunschweig University Library is the most extensive collection of pharmaceutical literature in Central Europe. For some 62 years the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG, has supported the Special Subject Collection of Pharmacy that now involves about 51,000 monographs and more than 600 journal subscriptions. The aim of the Virtual Library of Pharmacy is the global detection of conventional and electronic sources, internet items and database contents for the subject of pharmacy through a single portal., Mit dem Sondersammelgebiet Pharmazie besitzt die Universitätsbibliothek Braunschweig den größten Bestand pharmazeutischer Literatur in Mitteleuropa. Hier wurde durch die Förderung der DFG, der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft, eine überragende Sammlung der internationalen Fachliteratur aufgebaut. Das Sondersammelgebiet besteht seit 1949 und ist vor allem ab den 70er Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts mit nachhaltiger Unterstützung der DFG stark gewachsen. Heute umfasst die Sammlung über 51.000 Bücher und über 600 Pharmaziezeitschriften aus aller Welt werden aktuell abonniert. Die 'Virtuelle Fachbibliothek Pharmazie' stellt Fachinformationen, konventionelle und elektronische Dokumente, Internetobjekte und Datenbankinhalte aus dem Bereich der Pharmazie in einem Internetportal bereit.

Patient and consumer drug and medicines information. Includes dietary and herbal supplements and over-the-counter drugs.

Pharmaceutical and medical ebooks, cases, drug resources, study tools, videos and other multimedia., 2 simultaneous user limit.

Find clinical guidelines and therapeutic recommendations for a wide range of medical disorders., Searchable peer-reviewed clinical guidelines. Topics include analgesia, antibiotics, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrinology, neurology, gastroenterology, dermatology, palliative care, psychotropics and drug prescribing in pregnancy and breastfeeding. A mobile app is available for Griffith University staff and students. The app can connect to eTG Complete online, or the eTG Complete content can be downloaded to devices for offline use.

Pharmaceutical and medical ebooks, cases, drug resources, study tools, videos and other multimedia., 2 simultaneous user limit.

Access essential information on a large number of prescription and non-prescription drugs., Unlimited users. Summary of licence

Three widely used databases—MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science—were compared for their relative ability to retrieve the largest number of articles within the drug literature, using three search terms: two for specific drugs (atorvastatin and olanzapine) and one for a major class of drugs (statins). These drugs and the class of drugs were chosen for their longevity and continued high clinical and scientific interest, as indicated by the many articles concerning them published in scholarly and professional journals over the last two decades. Significant differences were observed in the journal coverage and the number of documents each database retrieved, with Scopus significantly outperforming the other two databases in these respects. Based on the results from this limited but by no means atypical study of comparative strengths and degree of coverage, the best option for retrieving the largest numbers of articles on a particular drug in the literature would be to use both Scopus and Web of Science, as these two databases complement each other with respect to the journal coverage. MEDLINE retrieved much smaller numbers of documents in all searches and should be used only when the other two databases are not available.

While science is becoming more and more interdisciplinary, valuable resources such as PubChem and DiscoveryGate DG) are still considered created for and used mainly by chemists. PubChem is a fast-growing database of properties of small organic molecules, including many drugs. DG provides access to chem., medicinal, toxicity, metabolite, cancer, and drug databases that can be accessed from a single entry point, the MDL Compound Index. Users of DG can expand their searches to PubChem, and users of PubChem can expand their searches to DG. While PubChem is a free resource, DG requires expensive subscriptions. The purpose of this paper is to show how the life sciences community could greatly benefit from using integrated chem. and life sciences databases such as PubChem and DG to find specific, detailed, accurate, and independent information about the properties, synthesis, metabolism, and effects of drugs.

The current aggressive tactics of pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs directly to consumers makes it important to researchers, physicians, and the general public to know what the affiliations and co‐authorships of those publishing on these drugs are. The most widely used database for retrieving biomedical literature is MEDLINE/PubMED, because it is a comprehensive and free resource. New refining and analytical tools available from the Web of Science (WoS), though, allow performing a much more in‐depth analysis of the literature in a particular field. WoS has recently become even more attractive to researchers with the addition of HistCite, a program that allows identifying the key literature and reconstructing the history and development of a particular research field. This study examines the institutional affiliations and co‐authorships of the most prolific authors who have published articles on the cholesterol‐lowering drug Atorvastatin (Lipitor). The literature on the latter was chosen because this drug has been on the market for a long time and it is currently the most prescribed drug in the world. Since WoS is usually not the preferred database for retrieving biomedical literature, the number of documents published on Atorvastatin that were retrieved from the WoS was compared to the number of documents retrieved through MEDLINE. The HistCite software allows performing in‐depth analysis of the scientific literature, but it can be used only with the WoS. In order to justify the use of WoS in this study (MEDLINE is considered the standard database for retrieving biomedical literature), the performance of WoS was compared to the performance of MEDLINE. Identical searches were performed in both WoS and MEDLINE and the results were limited to documents published on atorvastatin from 1994 to 2007. WoS retrieved more documents than MEDLINE (4,173 and 2910, respectively), for the period under study, and performed equally well or even better with respect to t

BACKGROUND: Managing medications is complex, particularly for consumers with multiple coexisting conditions for whom benefits and adverse effects are unpredictable and health priorities may be variable. OBJECTIVE: To investigate perceptions of and experiences with managing drug regimens from the perspectives of consumers with osteoarthritis and coexisting chronic conditions and of healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds. METHODS: Using an exploratory research design, focus groups were formed with 34 consumers and 19 healthcare professionals. Individual interviews were undertaken with 3 community medical practitioners. RESULTS: Consumers' management of medications was explored in terms of 3 themes: administration of medications, provision of information, and the perceived role of healthcare professionals. In general, consumers lacked understanding regarding the reason that they were prescribed certain medications. Since all consumer participants had at least 2 chronic conditions, they were taking many drugs to relieve undesirable symptoms. Some consumers were unable to achieve improved pain relief and were reluctant to take analgesics prescribed on an as - needed basis. Healthcare professionals discussed the importance of using non-pharmacologic measures to improve symptoms; however, consumers stated that physicians encourage them to continue using medications, often for prolonged periods, even when these agents are not helpful. CONCLUSIONS: Consumers were dissatisfied about the complexity of their medication regimens and also lacked understanding as to how to take their drugs effectively. Dedicated time should be devoted during medical consultations to facilitate verbal exchange of information about medications. Pharmacists must communicate regularly with physicians about consumers' medication needs to help preempt any problems that may arise. Instructions need to be revised

Die Arzneimittelliste im Klinikum der Justus-Liebig-Universiät Gießen wurde erstmals 1974 unter dem Namen Hausliste erstellt, und war aus damaliger Sicht eine wertvolle Arbeitserleichterung, allerdings boten die einfachen Textdokumente aus heutiger Sicht keine optimalen Suchmöglichkeiten. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit lag somit darin, die wertvollen Dokumentinhalte der alten Version der Hausliste optimal nutzbar zu machen, und damit ein modernes Arzneimittelinformationssystem zu etablieren. Dafür wurde auf moderne Technologien und Standards zurückgegriffen, wie XML (eXtensible Markup Language) und Topic Maps (Themenlandkarten), um die Textdokumente so zu strukturieren, dass deren Inhalt maschinenverständlich und dadurch einer differenzierten Suche zugänglich wurde. Für die Optimierung der Suchqualität wurden weitere Strukturierungsmaßnahmen wie die Verschlagwortung der Textdateien (Keywords) und direkte Verknüpfungen oder Querverweise entwickelt. Darüber hinaus wurde die Rote Liste als weitere pharmazeutisch-medizinische Datenbank direkt eingebunden. Für die Arzneimittelbestellung im Klinikum wurde eine Warenkorbfunktion, und zur Aktualisierung der Daten ein einfach zu bedienendes Pflegeportal erstellt. Die optimale Symbiose zu den XML-strukturierten Daten der neuen Hausliste bildet die ebenfalls in Gießen konzipierte semantische Suchmaschine namens LuMriX. Im Rahmen verschiedener Testphasen wurde die Funktionalität, die Suchqualität, aber auch die Akzeptanz durch die Anwender überprüft, und als positiv bewertet., The drug list of the clinic at Justus-Liebig-University in Gießen was first established in 1974 by the name Hausliste, and was from that point of view a precious assistance, but the simple text documents were not adequate for contemporary searching standards. The main target of this work was to afford the optimal use of the important information integrated in the old version of the Hausliste and to install a modern drug information system. For the conversion of this goal modern technologies such as XML (eXtensible Markup Language) and topic maps were applied to structure the text documents in order to make the information comprehensible for search engines. In order to improve the search quality, different structuring schemes were applied such as the integration of key words and special links between related data files. To establish an useful working tool for the clinic, another pharmaceutical data base was integrated, the so-called Rote Liste, and the procedure for drug-ordering was also improved. For the permanent updating of the data base a maintenance portal has also been installed. The semantic search engine called Lumrix was also built at the University of Gießen and is an adequate tool for the XML-based data of the new version of the Hausliste. Different test stages were executed to verify the quality of the system and the acceptance by the users.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how well patients could correctly recognize and comprehend the various information items on patient information leaflets, and to explore the reasons underlying poor comprehensibility. METHODS: Leaflets from 30 randomly selected, commonly prescribed medicines were examined by experts using protocols to evaluate leaflet layout, language and content. The same leaflets were also evaluated by patients who had their medicines dispensed at 24 randomly selected Swedish pharmacies. A questionnaire was used for the patients' examination. RESULTS: The results showed that most information on the leaflets is sound and is well comprehended by the patients. For two information items regarding 'risks of interactions' and 'contraindications' the patient scores were low, indicating poor comprehensibility. CONCLUSION: Leaflets with low scores on warnings of interactions and contraindications were found to deliver more complex messages to older patients as compared to leaflets with high scores for these items., Värdering av läkemedlens bipacksedlar