Pharmacist-prepared dispensing guidelines for drugs used in clinical research.

The article describes a set of guidelines developed by pharmacists of the investigational drug service (IDS) established by the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers. The guidelines are aimed at helping pharmacists prepare instructions for dispensing, inventory management, and accountability of investigational drugs in a systematic manner. Information on the dispensing guideline template, its structure and its use in training pharmacists before the start of a study is included.