ASSESSMENT OF SOURCES AND LIMITATIONS OF DRUG INFORMATION USED BY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS OF SELECTED HOSPITALS IN KADUNA METROPOLIS

Abstract

Background: Health professionals have certain drug information needs and hence get drug
information from different sources. Access to correct, upto-date and unbiased information on
drugs is of utmost importance in ensuring rational use of drugs, patient safety and therapeutic
success.
Aim: To determine drug information needs and sources used by health care professionals
(HCP) of the selected hospitals.
Methods: A total of 261 questionnaires were distributed to doctors, pharmacists and nurses of
three public hospitals in Kaduna state; Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Yusuf Dantsoho
Memorial Hospital and Kawo General Hospital through convenience sampling. Data were
analysed descriptively.
Results: A total of 231 valid and completed questionnaires were returned (response rate of
88.5%). Majority (n=55.8%) of the respondents were nurses, 33.3% doctors, while 10.8% were
pharmacists. High percentage (59.3%) of the respondents had no postgraduate qualification,
13.0% had Masters Degrees while 27.7% had other postgraduate qualifications such as
fellowships of professional colleges. Health professionals (19.9 %) always used the internet
while another 15.9% always used professional colleagues as sources of drug information.
Majority (50.6%) never used compendia and a portion of them (34.6%) never used journals for
their drug information needs. More than a quarter of the respondents (35.5%) most of the time
sought for information on uses of drugs in pregnancy and (32.0%) on drug interactions. . In
comparison, the respondents (49.8% & 41.0%) never sought for information on storage
conditions of medications and cost of medicines respectively.
Conclusion: The selected hospitals’ HCPs obtained drug information through the internet and
professional colleagues with the majority of their drug information needs centered on
pregnancy and drug interactions.