Patrick J. Bryant

Conception and Implementation of a Drug Information Center Based Fellowship in Natural Product Research

Resurgence of consumer use of natural products has resulted in an increased need for evidence-based information on these products. Recognition of problems associated with meeting that need, the need for the most accurate healthcare education, and the need for identification of required future research resulted in development and implementation of a two-year, post-PharmD fellowship program at a university drug information center. The program equips pharmacists with the skills and knowledge necessary to address these issues. Research associated with the program will provide insight into specific knowledge gaps in scientific evidence and in knowledge levels of healthcare professionals. This insight will guide research and allow development of appropriate educational measures to train healthcare professionals in provision of pharmaceutical care associated with natural products.

A Practical Approach to Evidence-Based Medicine for the Medical Communications Professional

The daily responsibilities of medical communications professionals require the application of evidence-based medicine (EBM) principles. Decision making based on personal experience alone, without knowledge from well-designed, controlled, randomized trials with adequate sample size, often overestimates the efficacy and underestimates the safety risks associated with drug therapy. The practice of EBM involves integrating clinical expertise with the best available evidence from systematic research. There are several EBM methods currently available; however, many of these are complex, requiring considerable time and effort. Medical communications professionals need a simple, time-sensitive, systematic EBM process they can quickly learn and integrate into their thought process and decision making. An EBM process developed by the University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Pharmacy Drug Information Center provides these attributes. This five-step evidence-based medicine process and a case study illustrating how the medical communications professional applies the process are described in this article.

Resources for Information on Herbal Medicinals and Dietary Supplements

ALTMEDDEX , ed ited by L. Abt and Milt Hammerly. Englewood, CO. MICROMEDEX, Inc., 2001. , ed ited by L. Abt and Milt Hammerly AltMedDex is the first in a se ries of MICROMEDEX da ta bases of fer ing in for ma tion on var i ous com ple men tary and al ter na tive med i cine (CAM) ther a pies. AltMedDex Eval u a tions are com plete mono graphs on bo tani cals, vi ta mins, min er als, amino ac ids and other di etary sup ple ments. Also in cluded are Royal Phar ma ceu ti cal So ci ety (RPS) mono graphs from Herbal Med i cines by the Royal Phar ma ceu ti cal Press, and Drug Con sults, which are sum ma ries or mini-re views writ ten by one con trib u tor fo cus ing on a par tic u lar is sue. The MICROMEDEX Web site (www.micromedex.com) lists 251 sub stances for which AltMedDex mono graphs are “Cur rently and Soon to be Avail able.” Of the 251 listed sub stances, 132 ac tual AltMedDex Eval u a tions ex ist in the cur rent edi tion (ex pires 2/2001). Mono graphs from MICROMEDEX’s stan dard drug in for ma tion sys tem, AltMedDex ,