Computer use in Canadian drug information centres.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Information Management

Background:

• In 1988, the adoption of computer technology in healthcare settings was rapidly evolving.
• Drug Information (DI) centers play a crucial role in providing accurate and timely pharmaceutical information.
• Understanding the extent of computer use in these centers was essential for assessing technological integration and future development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To ascertain the level of computer utilization among Canadian drug information centers.
• To identify the primary applications and databases employed by these centers.
• To evaluate the adoption of emerging technologies like CD-ROM systems.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted in July 1988, involving a questionnaire distributed to 36 major Canadian drug information centers.
• A response rate of 89% was achieved, providing a robust dataset for analysis.
• Data collected included information on computer hardware, software applications, and database access.

Main Results:

• Seventy-five percent of responding centers utilized computers, with personal computers being the predominant hardware (65.6%).
• Word processing was the most common application, followed by formulary maintenance and online literature searching.
• MEDLINE was the most frequently accessed database, with the National Library of Medicine as the preferred vendor; 18.75% of centers used CD-ROM technology.

Conclusions:

• Canadian drug information centers demonstrated significant computer adoption by 1988, indicating a trend towards digital information management.
• The primary uses centered on administrative tasks and information retrieval, highlighting the impact of technology on operational efficiency.
• The findings suggest a foundation for further technological integration and development within drug information services.