Abstract

Background: Drug literature is vast and interprofessional. It is not easy to keep abreast with current drug information (DI). DI Center (DIC) is a facility specializing in the provision of DI in a suitable format; with diverse roles in many other activities. However, optimal utilization of DICs is questionable. There is hardly any data regarding awareness about DICs. Aims and Objectives: The study was planned to evaluate the awareness of DICs among health-care professionals, who are the primary beneficiaries of its services.
Materials and Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. Health-care professionals (health-care teaching faculty, postgraduate students, interns, undergraduate students, nurses, and pharmacists) who gave informed consent were given a structured, pretested questionnaire. A total of 360 questionnaires were collected and analyzed.
Results: About 68% of respondents never came across the term DIC before. The majority had knowledge - score <3 (out of 8). Pharmacologist was thought as the best suited to work for DIC by 74.7% of participants. It was agreed by 72% that topics regarding DIC should be included in continued medical education programs. Textbooks and internet were most widely referred for DI. For 56.4% respondents, available sources of DI were not satisfactory. The need for provision of DI was felt up to thrice a day by 66%. Irrational prescribing was the most commonly cited issue for the want of DI. An overwhelming 95% of participants felt the study increased their awareness about DIC. Conclusion: The lack of awareness about DIC, frequent need for provision of DI, preventable issues associated with drug prescribing, lack of accessible sources emphasize the importance and need for awareness about DIC.