A survey on the structure, organization, and functions of medical information departments in the pharmaceutical industry in Spain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ángela Flores ◽  
Sylvaine Balmy ◽  
Elena Guardiola ◽  
Nuria Escudero ◽  
María-Ángeles Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Academic Degree ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Information Requests

The medical information (MI) function within the pharmaceutical industry plays a significant role in the provision of scientific answers for patients and healthcare professionals. The purpose of this study is to identify the current structure, organization, and functions of MI departments in Spain. Sixty local and international pharmaceutical companies based in Spain were invited to participate in this study between May and July 2019. An online 34–item questionnaire developed by the AMIFE MI Working Group was distributed to the companies. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics using response frequencies. A total of 44 responses from 60 surveys (73%) were received. More than half of the respondents were employed in international companies based in Europe (57%, n = 25). Seventy-one percent (n = 31) of the companies had 100 to 1,000 employees in Spain. Most respondents declared that they had an MI department in their company (73%, n = 32), with most (53%) having two to five employees working on MI. Most MI (n = 50) specialists had a biomedical academic degree (predominantly pharmacy, biology, and medicine). MI departments were involved in many functions, the most common being answering enquiries (100%), handling drug information requests (97%), preparing written responses (94%), and literature services for external use (77%). The mean annual volume of MI enquiries was 2,301 (median 1,100). The results of this survey contribute to a better understanding of MI departments in Spanish pharmaceutical companies, as well as their functions and responsibilities, and could help identify opportunities and areas for improvement.

scholarly journals Voluntary disclosures of payments from pharmaceutical companies to healthcare professionals in Germany: a descriptive study of disclosures in 2015 and 2016

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e037395
Author(s):  
Marlene Stoll ◽  
Lara Hubenschmid ◽  
Cora Koch ◽  
Klaus Lieb
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Voluntary Disclosures ◽  
Academic Degree ◽  
Distribution Parameters

ObjectiveTo analyse voluntary payment reports of pharmaceutical companies to German healthcare professionals (HCPs) in 2015 and 2016 based on an industry-self-regulating transparency codex.Design and participantsCohort study of all German HCPs who voluntarily agreed that at least one payment they received in 2015 and 2016 from pharmaceutical companies is disclosed.Main outcome measuresNumber of HCPs who disclosed at least one payment in the database; separated by year of disclosure and whether they disclosed once or repeatedly. Amount of disclosed payments and distribution parameters of disclosed annual payment sums per person; separated by year of disclosure und whether they disclosed once or repeatedly.Results28 230 HCPs agreed to the disclosure of at least one payment in the database. In 2015, 19 905 HCPs agreed to the disclosure, decreasing to 15 782 HCPs in 2016. Whereas 7457 disclosed payments in both years, 12 448 disclosed only in 2015 and 8325 only in 2016. Payments of €32 426 721 in 2015 and €23 289 343 in 2016 were disclosed, that is, 27% and 23% of the total amounts spent on HCPs, respectively. Distribution of annual payments was skewed: the top 1% of HCPs disclosed annual payment sums between €17 049 and €200 194, while the median disclosed annual payment sum per person was €536 (IQR €1092). Disclosed payments were higher in male physicians and in physicians with higher academic degree.ConclusionsIf voluntary, disclosure rates of payments are low and therefore only provide a fragmented picture of interactions between HCPs and pharmaceutical companies. Efforts must be intensified to ensure obligatory disclosure of all payments worldwide.

Crossover Comparison of Drug Information Online Database Vendors: Dialog and Medlars

1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Rovers ◽  
John E. Janosik ◽  
Paul F. Souney
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Lower Cost ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Information Services ◽  
Online Database ◽  
National Library ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Information Practice ◽  
Information Requests ◽  
Crossover Comparison

OBJECTIVE: To compare Dialog EMBASE with the National Library of Medicine's (NLM's) MEDLARS MEDLINE, TOXLINE, and TOXLIT to evaluate differences among the databases and vendors in a method consistent with routine drug information practice. DESIGN: Crossover comparison. METHODS: NLM MEDLARS databases MEDLINE, TOXLINE, and TOXLIT were searched directly. EMBASE was searched via Dialog Information Services. MEDLINE was searched back to 1980; TOXLINE and TOXLIT were searched back to 1981, reflecting the different database structures. EMBASE was searched back to 1980. To control bias, searches were randomized; identical strategies were used during the same session and were performed by the same trained searcher. RESULTS: Twenty-six drug information requests were compared. The MEDLARS and Dialog databases were generally similar, with no significant differences in the number of potentially relevant references, English references, clinically relevant references, available abstracts, unique citations, time online, and number of questions answered. EMBASE searches were more costly (p=0.0005). TOXLIT was costlier than TOXLINE and MEDLINE (p=0.0018). CONCLUSIONS: NLM MEDLARS databases were comparable to Dialog EMBASE. Although MEDLARS provided more total and English-language citations, the differences were small and did not influence the proportion of questions answered. The greatest difference between the vendors was the significantly lower cost of searching on MEDLARS. Although this difference may be partially offset by the significantly shorter search times on EMBASE, the mean 1.9 minutes saved would not recoup the mean $7.89 difference in cost. MEDLARS databases are less expensive for routine drug information requests.

scholarly journals The relations of Internet-specific epistemic beliefs in medicine and demographics towards healthcare professionals’ intention to use online evidence-based medical databases: questionnaire validation and cross-sectional survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen-Lin Chiu ◽  
Yu-Chen Lee ◽  
Chin-Chung Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Epistemic Beliefs ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Academic Degree ◽  
Medical Databases ◽  
Relationship Analysis

BACKGROUND Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been regarded as a prerequisite for healthcare quality. The increase in healthcare providers’ adoption of online medical information and the lack of awareness of alternative access to online evidence-based resources suggest an investigation on their information searching behaviors through the online evidence-based medical databases. OBJECTIVE he main purposes of this study were to (1) modify and validate the internet-specific epistemic beliefs in medicine (ISEBM) questionnaire and (2) explore the associations between healthcare professionals’ demographics, ISEBM and intention to use online evidence-based medical databases for clinical practice. METHODS The healthcare professionals in a university-affiliated teaching hospital were surveyed with the ISEBM questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to analyze the validity of the ISEBM questionnaire. Furthermore, the Structural equation modeling (SEM) with structural relationship analysis was implemented to examine the possible linkages between health professionals’ demographics, internet-specific epistemic beliefs in medicine and intention to utilize the online evidence-based medical databases for clinical practice. RESULTS A total of 277 healthcare professionals with clinical working experience were surveyed. The results of CFA indicated all items had significant loadings ranging from 0.69 to 0.89 with satisfactory composite reliability (CR) values ranging from 0.70 to 0.89. The results of SEM structural relationship analysis revealed that source of internet-based medical knowledge (P<.05) and justification for internet-based knowing in medicine (P<.05) were correlated with intention to use EBM databases. However, certainty and simplicity of internet-based medical knowledge were not. In addition, the gender (P<.05), years of working experience (P<.05), and academic degree (P<.01) were associated with intention to use online evidence-based medical databases for clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS Advancing healthcare professionals’ internet-specific epistemic beliefs in medicine regarding source and justification may encourage them to retrieve valid medical information through EBM databases. Moreover, giving concern and support for specific healthcare professionals (i.e., female, senior, without graduate academic degree) may promote their intention to use certain databases for clinical practice.

The Drug Manufacturer as a Drug Information Resource

2021 ◽  
pp. 875512252110054
Author(s):  
Cambrey Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Pharmaceutical Company ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Drug Manufacturer ◽  
Information Resource ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
The Public

Pharmacists use a myriad of drug resources for patient care; however, the drug manufacturer is often overlooked and underutilized as a resource for drug information. Pharmaceutical companies have a medical information department that is responsible for providing drug information to pharmacists and the public about the company’s products. This article will explain the purpose and functions of the medical information department within a pharmaceutical company. In addition, the type of information that may be requested and the ways to request drug information will be discussed.

scholarly journals Simulation of drug information skills in the medical information department

2021 ◽  
pp. 403-406
Author(s):  
Cambrey Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Iron Deficiency Anaemia ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Deficiency Anaemia ◽  
Realistic View ◽  
Information Skills

Purpose: To utilise DIcipher, an escape-room challenge, to provide a simulation of using drug information (DI) skills to answer drug questions in the medical information (MI) department within the pharmaceutical industry. Methods: The 15-minute challenge required the groups to solve one clue and retrieve DI questions about iron deficiency anaemia. DI resources were used to search for answers to unlock a box with the antidote. A debriefing session followed and a Likert scale survey was administered to obtain student perception. Results: A total of 15 second to fourth year pharmacy students at university participated in the challenge and completed the survey. No groups retrieved the antidote by answering all of the questions correctly. All students agreed that the challenge provided a realistic view of how to apply DI skills in an industry-based setting. Conclusion: This challenge demonstrated the function of a pharmacist in the MI department to pharmacy students.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Ophthalmology Emergency Clinic Intake Forms

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaisra Esmail ◽  
Keean Nanji ◽  
Setareh Ziai
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Patient Encounter ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Residency Programs ◽  
Academic Center ◽  
Clinic Efficiency ◽  
Perceived Benefit ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The University

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel patient intake form in an emergency ophthalmology clinic at a Canadian academic center. Despite the popularity of intake forms, they have not been previously reported in the literature in an emergency ophthalmology clinic setting. Methods: All new patients at the University of Ottawa emergency ophthalmology clinic were provided with a patient intake form to complete while waiting to be seen. Ophthalmology residents and nurses at the University of Ottawa completed an effectiveness survey evaluating the benefits of these forms after 24 months of use. Emergency ophthalmology clinics at other Canadian academic institutions were questioned regarding their use of patient intake forms.  Results: Nine residents and two nurses completed the effectiveness survey. The mean (SD) score assessing the use of the form (1=never, 5=every patient encounter) was 3.90 (1.20). The greatest perceived benefit involved improved clinic efficiency (91%). All (100%) of responses indicated that the form should continue to be used in practice. Of the other 14 ophthalmology residency programs in Canada, nine currently do not use an intake form, two have forms completed by nurses and three utilize a form but are dissatisfied with their results. Conclusions: Our results suggest that there are benefits with respect to clinic efficiency, accuracy of medical information, collaboration between healthcare professionals, and patient satisfaction when utilizing patient intake forms in an emergency ophthalmology setting. The use of similar forms may provide an opportunity to improve clinical practice at other academic institutions within Canada.

Quality Assessment of Health Information about Scaphoid Fracture in Chinese Websites (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaobin Yin ◽  
Jianguang Ji ◽  
Peng Lu ◽  
Wenyao Zhong ◽  
Liying Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Scaphoid Fracture ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
The Mean

BACKGROUND With online health information becoming increasingly popular among patients and their family members, concerns have been raised about the accuracy from the websites. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the overall quality of the online information about scaphoid fracture obtained from Chinese websites using the local search engines. METHODS We conducted an online search using the keyword “scaphoid fracture” from the top 5 search engines in China, i.e. Baidu, Shenma, Haosou, Sougou and Bing, and gathered the top ranked websites, which included a total of 120 websites. Among them, 81 websites were kept for further analyses by removing duplicated and unrelated one as well as websites requiring payment. These websites were classified into four categories, including forum/social networks, commercials, academics and physician’s personals. Health information evaluation tool DISCERN and Scaphoid Fracture Specific Content Score (SFSCS) were used to assess the quality of the websites. RESULTS Among the 81 Chinese websites that we studied, commercial websites were the most common one accounting more than half of all websites. The mean DISCERN score of the 81 websites was 25.56 and no website had a score A (ranging from 64 to 80).The mean SFSCS score was 10.04 and no website had a score A (range between 24 and 30). In addition, DISCERN and SFSCS scores from academic and physician’s websites were significantly higher than those from the forum/social networks and commercials. CONCLUSIONS The overall quality of health information obtained from Chinese websites about scaphoid fracture was very low, suggesting that patients and their family members should be aware such deficiency and pay special attentions for the medical information obtained by using the current search engines in China.

scholarly journals Cancer patients’ information seeking behavior related to online electronic healthcare records

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 146045822110247
Author(s):  
Hanife Rexhepi ◽  
Isto Huvila ◽  
Rose-Mharie Åhlfeldt ◽  
Åsa Cajander
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Information Horizons ◽  
Health Information Sources

Patients’ online access to their EHR together with the rapid proliferation of medical information on the Internet has changed how patients use information to learn about their health. Patients’ tendency to turn to the Internet to find information about their health and care is well-documented. However, little is known about patients’ information seeking behavior when using online EHRs. By using information horizons as an analytical tool this paper aims to investigate the information behavior of cancer patients who have chosen to view their EHRs (readers) and to those who have not made that option (non-readers). Thirty interviews were conducted with patients. Based on information horizons, it seems that non-reading is associated with living in a narrower information world in comparison to readers. The findings do not suggest that the smallness would be a result of active avoidance of information, or that it would be counterproductive for the patients. The findings suggest, however, that EHRs would benefit from comprehensive linking to authoritative health information sources to help users to understand their contents. In parallel, healthcare professionals should be more aware of their personal role as a key source of health information to those who choose not to read their EHRs.

scholarly journals The Problems and Needs of Patients Diagnosed with Cancer and Their Caregivers

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Anna Lewandowska ◽  
Grzegorz Rudzki ◽  
Tomasz Lewandowski ◽  
Sławomir Rudzki
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Literature Analysis ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Mean ◽  
High Level ◽  
Patients Experience

(1) Background: As the literature analysis shows, cancer patients experience a variety of different needs. Each patient reacts differently to the hardships of the illness. Assessment of needs allows providing more effective support, relevant to every person’s individual experience, and is necessary for setting priorities for resource allocation, for planning and conducting holistic care, i.e., care designed to improve a patient’s quality of life in a significant way. (2) Patients and Methods: A population survey was conducted between 2018 and 2020. Cancer patients, as well as their caregivers, received an invitation to take part in the research, so their problems and needs could be assessed. (3) Results: The study involved 800 patients, 78% women and 22% men. 66% of the subjects were village residents, while 34%—city residents. The mean age of patients was 62 years, SD = 11.8. The patients received proper treatment within the public healthcare. The surveyed group of caregivers was 88% women and 12% men, 36% village residents and 64% city residents. Subjects were averagely 57 years old, SD 7.8. At the time of diagnosis, the subjects most often felt anxiety, despair, depression, feelings of helplessness (46%, 95% CI: 40–48). During illness and treatment, the subjects most often felt fatigued (79%, 95% CI: 70–80). Analysis of needs showed that 93% (95% CI: 89–97) of patients experienced a certain level of need for help in one or more aspects. (4) Conclusions: Patients diagnosed with cancer have a high level of unmet needs, especially in terms of psychological support and medical information. Their caregivers also experience needs and concerns regarding the disease. Caregivers should be made aware of the health consequences of cancer and consider appropriate supportive care for their loved ones.

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