Assessing the accuracy of drug information responses from drug information centers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of response to a request among a sample of drug information centers and to determine the association between accuracy of response and individual center characteristics. DESIGN: A randomized telephone investigation. SETTING: College of Pharmacy drug information center located in a 500-bed tertiary care teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-nine drug information centers randomly selected from 154 centers that had responded to a survey. INTERVENTION: Each center received a telephone request requiring identification of Videx (didanosine), at that time a Phase II investigational product. Each center correctly identifying Videx was presented a patient case and questioned concerning adverse effect management. A written protocol of conversation was followed. Center confidentiality was maintained during data analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The association between correct information regarding Videx and individual drug information center characteristics was evaluated. RESULTS: Fifty-six evaluable responses were received. Videx was correctly identified by 16 centers (28.6 percent). Two centers (3.6 percent) made an incorrect identification and 38 centers (67.9 percent) could not make an identification. Of the 16 centers correctly identifying Videx, four successfully linked the product with described adverse effects, but none offered therapeutic management recommendations. Factors significantly associated with accurately identifying Videx included possession of a center policy and procedure manual (p = 0.011) and on-line searching capability (p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: These results identify an inconsistency in accuracy of responses among drug information centers. Although standardized operating policies/procedures and on-line searching capability may contribute to increased accuracy, there is clearly a need for enhanced quality assurance efforts.