• The learning objectives for this module are:

    • Differentiate between types of resources available to assist in answering medicines information enquiries.
    • Describe general electronic and hard copy resources available to assist in answering medicines information enquiries.
    • Explain the function and use of bibliographic databases, including Medline® and Embase®
    • Outline search strategies and functionalities in bibliographic databases.
    • Identify drug information databases to assist in answering medicines information enquiries.
    • Identify factors to consider in assessing the quality of internet resources available for accessing medicines information.
    • Outline other resources available to assist in answering medicines information enquiries.

    Accreditation number for this module: S2019/91

    This activity has been accredited for 1.5 hours of Group-1 CPD (or 1.5 CPD credits), suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacist’s CPD plan.

     

    The program addresses pharmacist competency standards, including:

     

    Standard 5.3.1 Identify information needs and resource requirements

    Standard 5.3.2 Retrieve relevant information/evidence in a timely manner

    Standard 5.3.3 Apply research evidence into practice

    (National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia, 2016)

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Introduction

  • When providing medicines information you need a thorough understanding of the resources that are available to you.

    You also need to understand levels of evidence and be able to identify the strengths and limitations of each resource.

    Knowing where to start searching, how to search, when to keep searching and how to decide when to stop searching are skills to learn in medicines information.

    When answering an enquiry, tertiary resources such as MIMS, AusDI, AMH or Therapeutic Guidelines may not contain appropriate detail for your enquiry and are limited by their editorial constraints. Critical thinking is always required to cross-check whether the information you are reading is applicable to your enquiry. The most recent research findings may not be included in these resources so always check the date of the last update.

    This module does not list all the resources that are required for pharmacy practice. A list is available on the Pharmacy Board of Australia website.

    More information about resources can also be found in SHPA's Medicines Information Procedure Manual.

    For the purposes of this module, resources have been divided into the following categories:

    • General pharmacy references
    • Bibliographic databases
    • Drug information databases
    • Internet resources.
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