• 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)

General pharmacy references►

Introduction

  • When answering an enquiry, you will often start with tertiary resources. When interpreting tertiary resources, be aware that the evaluation process can introduce bias, and that important details may have been missed in summarising research.

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

    • General pharmacy references
    • Bibliographical databases
    • Drug information databases
    • Internet resources.
    General pharmacy references►