[Creation and usefulness of the "drug information card" for support of dispensing]

We placed a "drug information card" on each medication shelf to assist dispensing by pharmacists, education of students, and risk management of pharmaceutical practices at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Tokyo Hospital. To provide appropriate information items on the drug information cards, we conducted questionnaire survey of 41 pharmacists on the utility of the cards and reviewed questions received from medical staff in the drug information section in our hospital. Based on the results of these investigations, "usage and dosage," "interactions," "contraindications," "product name," and "effects" were printed as basic information items on the drug information cards. Furthermore, information on pharmacokinetics was added. To make maintenance easier, we classified drug information items into "renew often" and "not so often." A good response on the use of the drug information cards was received for dispensing support from 38 pharmacists (92.7%), 14 trainees (100%), and 16 students (94.1%) in the questionnaire investigation. The drug information cards make it possible to obtain precise information rapidly in pharmacies.