Analysis of a hospital-based drug information center

The operation of a drug information center (DIC) was studied after it was relocated from a school of pharmacy to a teaching hospital. The output during the last eight months in the school of pharmacy (Period 1) was compared to the output during a three-month period after the DIC became established in the hospital (Period 2). Questions were classified by type and profession or requester. In addition, the number of judgmental questions processed was determined. The average number of questions per month in Period 1 was 58.1, while during Period 2 it was 146.3. There was a statistically significant increase in Period 2 in questions from each profession, with the exception of clinical pharmacists. In Period 2, 30.8% of the questions were asked by physicians, 27.6% by pharmacists, 24.1% by clinical pharmacists, 12.3% by nurses and 5.2% by other professionals. The largest number of questions was in the pharmacological category, with toxicities or side effects as the largest class. The majority of questions asked by nurses were pharmaceutical. Of the 439 questions received during Period 2, 28.0% were judgmental. Pharmaceutical questions were found to require the least amount of time to answer, while therapeutic questions required the greatest amount of time. Judgmental questions required more time than nonjudgmental questions. It was concluded that increased visibility and accessibility of the DIC after its relocation resulted in an increased work load.