Training needs, active info opportunities in primary care cited in analysis of DI requests

A recent study of drug information (DI) requests has discovered some opportunities for training and active information in primary care, including medication preparation, patient assistance programs, and patient-related resources, among others.

“DI services should work toward efficiency by identifying knowledge gaps and actively creating resources to address those needs,” the authors said.

In this study, two authors independently classified DI requests received in 2016 and 2017 by ambulatory care pharmacists into the following: training (ie, delivery of content meant to be retained as knowledge and used when needed), active information (ie, resources created pre-emptively and consulted when needed), or passive information (ie, not addressable with training or active information).

The authors then calculated inter-rater reliability using Cohen’s Kappa. They also performed bivariate analysis to compare the median time spent by category and across practice settings or professional types. Thematic analysis categorized specific training and active DI requests; labour costs were calculated.

A total of 2,041 DI requests were identified, of which 330 (16.2 percent) were classified as training, 454 (22.2 percent) as active information, and 1,257 (61.6 percent) as passive information (kappa=0.769).

Median time to resolve requests was 5 min for training, 5 min for active information, and 10 min for passive information. Pharmacists spent 132.1 hr, equivalent to $8,956.98, answering questions that could be addressed with training or active information.

Areas warranting training or active information were as follows: controlled substances, immunizations, patient assistance programs, policy/regulations, medication preparation/administration, storage/stability, disposal, availability/ordering medications, and patient-related resources.

“Despite the single-institution nature, the method described can serve as an example for other institutions,” the authors said.