Development of “Drug Information Cards” – An Information Tool for Health Care Professionals

Author(s)

Baishnab, S., Arun, K.P., Sushilkumar, P.L., Gloria, S.K., Chaitanya, T.

Author's Affiliation

Abstract

To select and develop a Master List of drugs with reference to Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) Essential Drug List (2011 – 12). To collect the Drug Information of the selected drugs from various standard authentic resources (mentioned in the source of data) and perform its validation. To design a sample Drug Card pattern according to the drug information collected. To incorporate and compile the drug cards. The essential drug list (2011-12) was obtained from the warehouse of the TNMSC office at Ooty and the drugs were segregated from the other contents of the essential drug list (2011- 2012). The content of the drug card was decided after thorough discussion with the guide. The contents of the drug cards included: Generic Name, Pharmacological and Therapeutic Classification, FDA Pregnancy Categories, Dosage Forms, Pharmacokinetics, Indications & Doses, Adverse Drug Reactions, Drug Interactions, Contraindications & Precautions and Notes. Various secondary & tertiary resources were used for collecting information on each drug. There were about 166 drugs under 22 therapeutic classes given in essential drug list of TNMSC (2011-12) after omitting the existence of drug appearing in more than one class. About 38.5 % secondary and61.5% tertiary resources were used in the process of developing these ‘Drug Cards’. Apart from the TNMSC essential drug list 5 more drugs were added in the drug cards, since these drugs were prescribed frequently in the Government Headquarters Hospital, Ootacamund. Drug Information Cards for about 166 drugs were developed exclusively for the drugs mentioned in TNMSC essential drug list (2011 – 2012) from various authentic sources, as there is a need for the ready reference of these drugs in daily hospital ward rounds by the health care professionals. A future aspect in developing drug cards as per NLEM will be initiated.

Keywords

Drug Cards, Health Care Professionals, Drug Information, Drug Flash Cards

Cite This Article

Baishnab, S., Arun, K.P., Sushilkumar, P.L., Gloria, S.K., Chaitanya, T. (2015). Development of “Drug Information Cards” - An Information Tool for Health Care Professionals, International Journal for Pharmaceutical Research Scholars (IJPRS), 4(2), 36-42.