Yiu-Ching Jennifer Wong1, Candy Lee2, Adil Virani3. 1. , PharmD, was, at the time this study was performed, a PharmD candidate (Class of 2020) in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. She is now a Pharmacy Resident with Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services in British Columbia. 2. , BSc(Pharm), ACPR, is a Clinical Pharmacist with Surrey Memorial Hospital, Surrey, British Columbia. 3. , BSc(Pharm), PharmD, FCSHP, is Manager of Pharmacy Services with Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services, and is also a Clinical Associate Professor with the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: With the increasing use of electronic point-of-care resources, it is imperative to clearly understand what health professionals consider valuable when selecting a drug information database. A current analysis of the preferences of staff in selected British Columbia health authorities was deemed helpful for determining which electronic drug information database should be purchased. OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors that BC hospital pharmacists, nurses, and other health professionals value in an electronic drug information database and to better understand the general preferences of staff in choosing between the Lexicomp and Micromedex databases. METHODS: An electronic survey was created for data collection. The survey was open from August 10 to September 15, 2018, and again from November 11 to December 7, 2018. The survey link was sent by e-mail to staff in the following health authorities: Fraser Health, Providence Health Care, Provincial Health Services Authority, and Vancouver Coastal Health. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the survey data. RESULTS: A total of 247 responses were received, of which 145 (58.7%) were complete. Completed surveys were received from 77 pharmacists, 52 nurses, and 16 other health professionals. Participants ranked dosing information and ease of use as the most important factors that they considered when choosing a drug information database. There were no significant differences between the Lexicomp and Micromedex resources in terms of usability, quality, and preference. CONCLUSIONS: This survey provided insights into what BC health authority staff perceive as important when utilizing a drug information database. Those considering either renewing or initiating a subscription to an online drug information database can use these results to better understand the preferences of health care professionals. Survey respondents ranked dosing information and ease of use as the 2 most important factors in selecting a drug information database. Pharmacists were more particular about using their preferred database than were other health professionals. 2020 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.
BACKGROUND: With the increasing use of electronic point-of-care resources, it is imperative to clearly understand what health professionals consider valuable when selecting a drug information database. A current analysis of the preferences of staff in selected British Columbia health authorities was deemed helpful for determining which electronic drug information database should be purchased. OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors that BC hospital pharmacists, nurses, and other health professionals value in an electronic drug information database and to better understand the general preferences of staff in choosing between the Lexicomp and Micromedex databases. METHODS: An electronic survey was created for data collection. The survey was open from August 10 to September 15, 2018, and again from November 11 to December 7, 2018. The survey link was sent by e-mail to staff in the following health authorities: Fraser Health, Providence Health Care, Provincial Health Services Authority, and Vancouver Coastal Health. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the survey data. RESULTS: A total of 247 responses were received, of which 145 (58.7%) were complete. Completed surveys were received from 77 pharmacists, 52 nurses, and 16 other health professionals. Participants ranked dosing information and ease of use as the most important factors that they considered when choosing a drug information database. There were no significant differences between the Lexicomp and Micromedex resources in terms of usability, quality, and preference. CONCLUSIONS: This survey provided insights into what BC health authority staff perceive as important when utilizing a drug information database. Those considering either renewing or initiating a subscription to an online drug information database can use these results to better understand the preferences of health care professionals. Survey respondents ranked dosing information and ease of use as the 2 most important factors in selecting a drug information database. Pharmacists were more particular about using their preferred database than were other health professionals. 2020 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.
Entities:
Keywords:
drug information databases; health authority staff; nurses; pharmacists; preferences