ACTIVITY 4
INFORMATION SOURCES IN PHARMACY INFORMATICS
I. TERTIARY RESOURCES. Below is a list of commonly used tertiary references. Obtain a copy of the
cover page and indicate the contents of the tertiary resources of information used in Pharmacy
Education and Practice.
A. General Drug Information Resources
Drug Facts and Comparisons (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Drug Information Handbook (Lexicomp)
Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference (Pharmaceutical Press)
Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) (PDR Network)
United States Pharmacopeia/ National Formulary
Philippine National Drug Formulary: Essential Drug List
MIMS
B. Information-Specific Resources
B.1. Adverse Reactions
Litt’s Drug Eruptions and Reactions Manual (Informa Healthcare)
Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs (Elsevier)
B.2. Compatibility and Stability of Parenteral Products
Handbook on Injectable Drugs (AHSP)
King Guide to Parenteral Admixtures (King Guide Publications)
B.3. Drug Interactions
Drug Interaction Facts (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Drug Interactions Analysis and Management (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Evaluations of Drug Interactions (First Databank)
Stockley’s Drug Interactions (Pharmaceutical Press)
B.4. Compounding/ Formulations
A Practical Guide to Contemporary Pharmacy Practice (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)
Ansel’s Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems
Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients
B.5. Herbal, Natural, or Alternative Medicines
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (Research Faculty)
The Review of Natural Products (Wolters Kluwer Health)
B.6. International Drug Products
Index Nominum: International Drug Directory (MedPharm)
Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference (Pharmaceutical Press)
B.7. Pharmacy Practice
Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy (Pharmaceutical Press)
B.8. Pregnancy and Lactation
Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)
Medications and Mother’s Milk (Hale Publishing)
B.9. Therapeutics
Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)
Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (McGraw-Hill)
Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiological Approach (McGraw-Hill)
TERTIARY REFERENCES MAIN FEATURES
A. General Drug Information Resources
Drug Facts and Comparisons (Wolters Kluwer
Health)
(Indicate the contents of the tertiary
resources)
(INSERT A COPY OF THE COVER PAGE HERE)
Drug Information Handbook (Lexicomp) (Indicate the contents of the tertiary
(INSERT A COPY OF THE COVER PAGE HERE) resources)
B. Information-Specific Resources
B.1. Adverse Reactions
Litt’s Drug Eruptions and Reactions Manual
(Informa Healthcare)
(INSERT A COPY OF THE COVER PAGE HERE) (Indicate the contents of the tertiary
resources)
Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs (Elsevier)
(INSERT A COPY OF THE COVER PAGE HERE) (Indicate the contents of the tertiary
resources)
II. SECONDARY RESOURCES. Below is a list of commonly used secondary resources. Visit and paste
a photo of the site. Write a brief description of these secondary resources useful to healthcare
professionals.
CINAHL
Cochrane Library
Embase
Google Scholar
International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA)
Iowa Drug Information System (IDIS)
Medline
SECONDARY RESOURCES DESCRIPTION
A. General Drug Information Resources
CINAHL
(INSERT A SCREENSHOT OF THE SITE HERE) (Indicate the contents of the secondary
resources)
Cochrane Library (Indicate the contents of the secondary
(INSERT A SCREENSHOT OF THE SITE HERE) resources)
III. CASE ANALYSIS
1. A patient tells the pharmacist that she is trying to become pregnant. She currently takes
Topiramate for migraine prophylaxis. She is aware that Topiramate has a “poor” pregnancy rating
but asks about the specific risks and effects of taking Topiramate if she becomes pregnant. Which
tertiary reference/s would be best suited to begin researching this question?
2. The same patient from Case Study 1 returns to the pharmacy a year later. She stopped taking the
Topiramate for migraine prophylaxis prior to becoming pregnant. She delivered a healthy full-term
infant 3 months ago and she is currently breastfeeding. Since the delivery, her migraine
headaches have increasingly worsened in frequency and severity. She would like to begin
Topiramate for migraine prophylaxis since this previously controlled the frequency and severity of
her migraine attacks. Before she talks to her physician, she would like to know what the risk would
be if she continued to breastfeed her infant while taking Topiramate. What sources would be best
suited to begin researching this question?
3. A patient states he has recently returned from an extended stay in Japan as part of a work
assignment. While in Japan, he was evaluated for hypertension and placed on a medication called
Almylar. The patient would like to know if the medication is available in the USA and, if not, what
would be an alternative medication to take? Which resources would be best suited to begin
researching this question?
4. A physician would like to read clinical trials evaluating the use of Ketorolac and Meperidine or
Ketorolac and Diclofenac for relief of pain associated with kidney stones.
A. What are the key terms from the question that should be part of a search strategy?
B. How would you combine the above terms in a search of secondary database?
C. After running the search above, several irrelevant results were returned. Can anything else
be done to refine the results better? Defend your answer.
IV. Provide the specific answer to the following questions. Identify the particular reference
consulted and write the bibliography using APA format.
Questions/Topics Answers
1 What disease is Methylphenidate SR
generally indicated?
Reference/s:
2 What is the mechanism of action of
Lovastatin?
Reference/s:
3 Calamine lotion is pink in color. What
is/are responsible for the pink coloration?
Reference/s:
4 What is azotemia?
Reference/s:
5 Define the conditions that primarily
contribute to COPD.
Reference/s:
6 Identify the chemical components of
Mohr’s salt.
Reference/s:
7 How much salicylic acid is present in
salicylic acid collodion?
Reference/s:
8 What is the ideal temperature for specific
gravity determination?
Reference/s:
