Meeting the modified drug information requirements of ASHP-accredited pharmacy practice residency programs

The current standards for meeting drug information (DI) requirements in American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)-accredited pharmacy practice residency (PPR) programs and the impact of changes in ASHP standards for the DI requirements were studied. In September 2002 a nine-question survey was e-mailed to the directors of all ASHP-accredited PPR programs listed with an available e-mail address on ASHP's residency directory Web page as of August 2002. The program directors were asked to provide information on the demographics of their practice settings, the current methods of completing the DI requirements of their programs, whether the DI requirements had changed between the 2001-02 and 2002-03 residency years, and whether any changes in the DI requirements were anticipated. A total of 178 (49%) of 365 PPR programs responded. Of the respondents, 87% were located in a hospital setting, 33% were affiliated with a school of pharmacy, and 40% had a formal onsite DI center. Half of the respondents fulfilled DI requirements through a longitudinal rotation, 20% through a block rotation, and 27% through both. Eighty-two percent of the respondents were familiar with the revised ASHP DI requirements, and 26% had modified their DI requirements between the 2001-02 and 2002-03 residency years. Seventeen percent anticipated changing their DI requirements in the future. Influences for modifications to the programs' DI requirements were mainly ASHP revisions and feedback from preceptors and residents. A national survey suggested that DI requirements in PPR programs are primarily achieved through a longitudinal rotation design.