A Survey of Drug Information Resources in Alabama Pharmacy Facilities

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the availability and usage of drug information (DI) resources in Alabama pharmacy facilities licensed by the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy. A survey consisting of questions regarding accessible DI resources and their usage was mailed to 1,430 pharmacy facilities, of which 604 (42%) were returned. The survey also consisted of other questions concerning personal data/digital assistant (PDA) usage, computer resources, types of DI questions answered, and other DI-related questions. Drug Facts and Comparisons was the most available and used resource for all pharmacy types; the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) and OTC (over-the-counter) references were second and third, respectively. PDA usage was relatively low (19.5%) among all pharmacies, but hospital/mental health pharmacies had the highest usage (32.4%). The primary drug questions answered by pharmacists for all pharmacy types concerned drug interaction, adverse reactions, and OTC questions.