Drug Information Centers

Photo by K. Burimski, USP Staff

Drug information is an essential element in achieving national health goals. Drug Information Centers (DICs) are service units committed to providing drug information as it relates to therapies, pharmacoeconomics, education, and research programs. In order to establish a DIC, a program must first meet specific criteria to provide dedicated space, trained staff, regular hours of operation, and sufficient reference and technological resources.

The primary role of a DIC in a developing country is to give clear and definitive information on well-established essential drugs and promote their rational use. A secondary role would be to keep up-to-date with pharmacological and therapeutic literature and to disseminate relevant information, as it becomes available. DICs provide a range of services to national regulatory authorities, medicine procurement agencies, hospitals, practitioners, and patients. The roles a drug information center plays is largely defined by the institution that houses it, but could include—among many other activities—developing formularies, improving patient compliance, conducting continuing education programs, or promoting responsible self-medication.

The USP DQI program has assisted a number of countries establish or build the capacity of their DICs, which now operate as self-sustaining units with support from local universities or institutions. In a spirit of cooperation, experienced DICs have trained the personnel of Centers that are just starting out, preparing them to meet their country's unique need for public health information. For more details, contact a DIC directly.

Evidence-based Information

Evidence-based Information: authoritative information for the use of medicines and other healthcare technologies by health professionals, patients, and consumers.

Evidence-based medicine is an approach to practicing medicine in which the clinician is aware of the evidence in support of clinical practice and the strength of that clinical evidence.

"Evidence-based" is a term often used to describe medically-related reference resources. Unfortunately, it is often used indiscriminately and without merit. For a clinical reference resource to truly be called evidence-based, conclusions must be based on the best available evidence. That can happen only if the evidence is consistently and systematically identified, evaluated and selected. USP DQI employs a thorough, seven-step approach to the process of material selection that is generally accepted by the healthcare community to ensure that the most advantageous, evidence-based resources are available to users.

Evidence-based medicine categorizes different types of clinical evidence and ranks them according to the strength of their freedom from the various biases that beset medical research. For example, results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials involving a homogeneous patient population and medical condition are weighted more heavily than patient testimonials, case reports, and even expert opinion. Clinical trials are generally designed free from bias due to the placebo effect inherent in observation and reporting of cases, do not rely on opinions of whom is an expert, and more.

Practicing evidence-based medicine implies not only clinical expertise, but expertise in retrieving, interpreting, and applying the results of scientific studies, and in communicating the risks and benefit of different courses of action to patients. It aims for the ideal that healthcare professionals should make "conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence" in their everyday practice.