Physician attitudes toward drug information resources

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Physicians require timely and accurate drug information for optimal patient care.
• Existing drug information resources may not fully meet physician needs.
• Understanding physician preferences is crucial for developing effective information dissemination strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey drug information needs of physicians in western Washington State.
• To identify primary sources of drug information utilized by physicians.
• To assess the perceived role of pharmacists in providing drug information.

Main Methods:

• A survey questionnaire was mailed to 5006 physicians in western Washington State.
• 1227 completed questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 24.5%.
• Data analysis focused on physician reliance on various information sources and willingness to pay for services.

Main Results:

• Journals and medical texts were the predominant sources for drug information.
• Pharmacists were infrequently consulted for drug information impacting patient therapy.
• Approximately 34% of surveyed physicians were willing to pay for drug information services.

Conclusions:

• Physician drug information seeking behaviors are heavily reliant on traditional print media.
• There is a significant unmet need or untapped potential for pharmacists in drug information provision.
• Physician willingness to pay suggests a market for specialized drug information services.