Drug information bulletin

Abstract

Objective: To develop and implement an online bulletin intended to provide information on locally available medicinal products undergoing variation in their Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) and inclusions of medicinal products in the Government Formulary List (GFL) and to evaluate the usefulness of the bulletin among healthcare professionals and students. Method: Lists of locally available medicines that had undergone variations and medicinal products added to the GFL during a 6-month time frame were compiled. Additional information was obtained from regulatory authorities and local agents. A concise article was written on each drug, reviewed by a panel of experts and subsequently published in the online bulletin. Following completion of the contents and layout, the material was uploaded on the website of the Department of Pharmacy, University of Malta. A pilot study was carried out to identify shortcomings in the online bulletin design. The launch of the online bulletin started the promotional process which was mainly focused on electronic mail marketing. The data obtained from the validated questionnaire was coded and analysed using SPSS® v.20 and Microsoft® Excel Vista®. Key findings: Sixty seven per cent (n=223) of the respondents returned the questionnaire. The online bulletin was evaluated by 27 medical practitioners, 34 pharmacists, 37 medical students and 51 pharmacy students; of which 35% (n=52) were male and 65% (n=97) were female. The respondents agreed that the bulletin was up-to-date, clear and concise (91%, n=136), user-friendly (97%, n=144), useful (95%, n=142), well-designed (91%, n=136) and easy to access (87%, n=130). Ninety seven per cent (n=145) of the respondents stated that the information present in the bulletin was new to them, whilst 97% (n=144) agreed that the bulletin helped to keep them informed. Conclusion: The online bulletin provided an accessible means to deliver unbiased information about the introduction of recent medicinal products on the GFL and variations in SmPCs of products available on the local market. It was positively received by both healthcare professionals and students.