Drug information centres: new role for pharmacists?

In the last few decades there has been a great increase in the number of new drugs available for general use. In consequence, drug information centres have been developed, particularly in U.S.A., to disseminate information on the uses, toxicity and cost of these drugs. Such centres have been slower to appear in the United Kingdom, with the exception of certain specialised centres, e.g. Poisons Information Bureaux. The present report describes the development of a drug information centre in Glasgow and gives preliminary data on its use during the last year. It is proposed that such centres provide a valuable aid in encouraging rational drug use particularly in hospitals. The centres may be run by a variety of interested personnel but in our view the professional group most likely to fill this role adequately is hospital pharmacists.