Impact of drug information services on patient care.

The use of information provided by the Drug Information Service of the University of Connecticut Health Center and its effect on patient care were investigated. All drug information requests received during the period from May 1 to August 15, 1977, were reviewed and followed up to determine (1) the usefulness of the information provided, (2) specific outcome(s) of applying the information to a patient-specific problem and (3) the ultimate effect of these outcomes on the patient. A total of 491 requests were received and 443 (90%) of these were followed up. Of those followed up, 421 (95%) were related to patient care. Of the 421 requests related to patient care, 350 (83%) were patient-specific. Of the 350 patient-specific requests, 329 (94%) were judged by the requestors to have provided useful information. Of these 329 requests, 202 (58%) resulted in provision of information that affected patients' outcomes, of which 157 (78%) had positive effects on patients. It is concluded that (1) the drug information center is providing useful information to health professionals, (2) the information is being applied to patient-specific problems and (3) use of the information is having a positive impact on patient care.