Drug Informatics

Lecture 2: Sociodemographic, general query

characteristics and drug information resources
PHR3100
Naschmil Abdulla
MSc Clinical Pharmacy Practice
naschmil.abdulla@komar.edu.iq
Learning outcome
After completing this chapter, student should be able to:
• Understand what is meant by sociodemographic and its characteristics to drug information
requests
• Identify requester demographic
• Identify general background questions for a requestor
• Utilize questionnaire to ask ultimate question/categorization of question
• Describe reliable health information resources
Demographic and Sociodemographic
• Demographic characteristics most commonly used in public health
statistics and provide information on demographic processes and their
outcome
• Socio-demographic variables include, for example, age, sex, education,
migration background and ethnicity, religious affiliation, marital status,
household, employment, and income
• Different index variables are formed on the basis of socio-demographic
variables, which include socio-economic status combining information on
education and income
• Socio-demographic details are often used to describe realized samples
and to determine sampling error
Socio demographic characteristics of drug
information requests
• Qualification of requestor: General practitioner, specialist physician,
pharmacists, nurse, health officer, patient, caregiver, intern, pharmaceutical
companies

• Method of receipt of the query: visit, phone call, email, face-to-face

• Mode of reply: oral, written, literature supplied, referred

• Classification of request: therapy, pregnancy, ADR, interaction, quality,

pharmaceutical, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, local/foreign
equivalence, availability, price, dose, administration, covert, dosage form
Most specialists use modified systematic approach designed by ‘Host and
Kirkwood’
Systematic approach
Proposed by Watanabe et al. in 1975
• Used to train pharmacy students
• Enable training in drug informatics skills
• Develop and enhanced pharmacy programs
• Assured quality responses fin terms of drug infomatics
Steps:
1.Classification of request
2.Obtaining background information
3.Systematic search
4.Response
5.Reclassification
Modified systematic approach
Most specialists use modified systematic approach designed by ‘Host and
Kirkwood
Steps involve:
1.Secure demographics of requester
2.Obtain general background information
3.Determine and categorize ultimate question
4.Develop strategy and conduct research
5.Perform evaluation, analysis and synthesis
6.Formulate and provide response
7.Conduct follow-up and documentation
Step 1: Secure requester demographics
• Secure requesters demographics by using general questions for obtaining background
information
• Identify the requesters position, training and anticipated knowledge
• Secure a mechanism for delivery of the response ie email, telephone, text etc.
Questions may involve the following:
 Who requests
 Med/non med personnel
 Educated/un educated personnel
 Name/location/phone/email etc of requestor
Put on your thinking hat
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of the
modified systemic approach

Disadvantage:
• lots of documentation
Advantages:
• The responder is prompted to practice in a consultative manner
• The responder will perform efficiently
• Selection of resources may be more efficient
Step 2: General background questions
• Where requester has heard/read about the medicine in question
• The requester’s affiliation (institute or practice) if a healthcare professional
• The requester’s frame of reference (title, profession or occupation)
• The resources that the requester already consulted
• Whether the request is patient specific or academic
• The patient’s diagnosis, other medications and pertinent medical information
• Is medicine in question taken by a patient
• The urgency of the request ( negotiate the time response)
Step 3: Ultimate question/categorization of
question
Putting the pieces of information together to form ultimate question and categorize the questions

• determination of the ultimate question is important for effective use of the modified systematic
approach
• background information is obtained in an open, productive exchange; the ultimate question is
easily unveiled
• adequate background information not obtained, determination of ultimate questions not possible
• Once ultimate question has been decided and acknowledged, the question is categorized
• categorization is useful not only for the initial development of the search strategy, but also for the
determination of resources and staff training to be maintained
Ultimate question
Let’s refer to the Drug Information Request- An example completed
form
Step 4: Develop strategy and conduct research
Strategies should be developed with a typical logarithm with three essential components;
tertiary-secondary-primary literature
 Primary literature: provides up to date and original information on which
the knowledge of drugs and therapeutics is built. They are suitable and
easily accessible quick references eg. Research studies and reports
 Secondary literature: refers to references that either index or abstract the
primary literature, with the goal of directing the user to relevant primary
literature
 Tertiary literature: provide summarized information as a quick easy
summary of a topic; eg textbooks, compendia, review articles in journals,
and other general information, such as may be found on the Internet
Step 5 and 6
Step 5 perform evaluation, analysis and synthesis:
• Provider should take time to evaluate the information, analyze and then synthesize
into a good reply
Step 6 Formulate and provide response:
• An outline should be established to help formulate a response to the drug info
request
• Need to have introduction, body and conclusion
Step 7 conduct follow-up and documentation
• Checking with the requestor to make sure his/her question has been sufficiently
and completely answered
• Of vital importance is to document all the steps taken in this process
General queries encompassing on different
medication classification
• Drug availability
• Drug identification
• Drug therapy and efficacy
• Investigational drugs
• Side effects and adverse effects
• Drug dosage and administration
• Drug interactions
• Drug use during pregnancy and while breastfeeding
• IV compatibility and stability
• Pharmacokinetics
• Toxicology
• Alternative medications and natural products
General guidelines for responses to drug
information
• Do not guess
• Take several ethical issues into account
• Maintain patient privacy
• Patient-physician relation can’t be breached
• Response is not necessary if the inquirer intends to misuse or abuse the
information that is provided
General guidelines for responses to drug
information
• Organize information before attempting to communicate the response to the
inquirer
• Tailor the response to the inquirer’s background
• Inform the inquirer the source of information
• Alert the inquirer of a possible delay when it takes longer that anticipated to
answer the question
• Confirm if the inquirer’s question is answered by the information
Reliable source
What is a reliable source?
provides a thorough, well-reasoned theory, argument, discussion, based on strong
evidence.
To assess reliability:
• Written by a professional specialized in the field of interest
• Has an author(s)
• Provide further sources that readers can verify
• Has a date of publication
• How current is the information
• Related to the topic discussed
• Supply of sources of supporting idea
Reliable health information resources

• Qualified healthcare professionals

• National Health Institute website
• Interviews and medical health documentaries
• Governmental websites
• Condition-specific websites (Society of cardiothoracic Surgery)
• Support organization sites
• Medical journals
• Health support groups (eg Alzheimer’s Society, Thalassemia Society)
References
• https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2017/8310636/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6761201/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6972620/
• http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.845.8713
&rep=rep1&type=pdf