[Drug information centers-instruments for health care research?]

Patient- and physician-centered drug information services (DICs) can contribute to a better communication between doctors and patients and health care research. Furthermore, gaps within health care can be identified.

Data of two DICs (the physician-centered service is in operation for almost 10 years, the patient-centered service since 2001), both established in the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology of the TU Dresden, Germany, were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The consultation frequency in both DICs was high (2004: 129 enquiries by physicians; 1,358 by patients). Questions concerning highly prevalent drug groups, i. e., cardiovascular drugs (physicians: 20%; patients: 30%) and drugs targeting the central nervous system (physicians: 22%; patients: 17%) were asked most frequently.

The results indicate that patient's drug information in primary care needs improvement. Although in both DICs similar drug groups were asked, the authors suggest that the time factor is the core obstacle to sufficient information rather than knowledge deficits of physicians.