Drug Information Services

This course will cover information sources and services, their methods of use and the nature and status of information available such as books and journals; the pharmaceutical associations; drug information centres, poison centres, self-help societies, industries and the Internet-based information; skills required in disseminating information; limitations on the use of drug leaflets; legal status of advice from local drug information centres and its relationship to professional responsibility and negligence; principles of information evaluation; drug information service and monitoring/evaluation of adverse drug events. The course will include hands-on skills on how to retrieve drug information, evaluate the literature, and communicate a drug information response. It is also designed to provide the student with more experience using computerized database retrieval systems. Students learn to apply systematic approach to answering drug information requests. Students will be expected to use various types of reference sources, full-text databases and online journals, indexing/abstract services and Internet-based drug information to respond to information requests. In addition, students will evaluate literature, review monographs, write abstracts and a drug monograph for formulary review, and/or write a paper for publication.