Drug Information Resources Used by Chain Community Pharmacists in Tennessee

Abstract

Background: Community pharmacists are a highly utilized drug information resource for patients and health care providers. Good retrieval skills and the availability of credible references are key to providing necessary information. Objective: This study aimed to identify the types of drug information resources used by chain community pharmacists in Tennessee. Methods: A phone survey was conducted by a trained pharmacy student to 39 pharmacists working at chain community pharmacies. Demographic questions, types of drug information resources available, Internet availability, smartphone applications (apps) used, and most common drug information questions received were identified. Results: Electronic tertiary drug resources were used by the majority of pharmacists, with the top 2 resources being Clinical Pharmacology and Facts and Comparisons. Seventy-four percent of pharmacists surveyed used smartphone apps to access information more quickly. Few pharmacists stated access to primary literature, while 4 pharmacists cited using the secondary resource PubMed. The 2 most commonly asked questions were concerning adverse drug reactions and side effects. Conclusions: Electronic drug information resources are widely available and utilized. In order to comply with all of the demands that a pharmacists comes across, these resources need to be very familiar and easy to operate from an efficiency stand-point.