Improving subscribing through use of CPS
Online posting: July 24, 1996
Published in print: Sept. 1, 1996 (CMAJ 1996;155:512)
Re: Strategies for improving prescribing practice, by Geoffrey M.
Anderson and Joel Lexchin, CMAJ 1996; 154: 1013–1017 [full text]
See also: Improving prescribing practices in nursing homes [letter]
We support implementation of a mechanism to keep prescribers
well informed in the rapidly changing world of therapeutics, as
the authors of this article recommend. However, we believe that
the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS),
published by the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, can play a
role in meeting this challenge.
In addition to its section containing drug monographs, CPS has
a section containing clinical information (the Clin-Info Section,
printed on lilac-coloured paper in the 31st edition). The
Clin-Info Section is designed to provide useful information on
the clinical effects of drugs, including such topics as drug
interactions, serum drug-concentration monitoring and
antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. As contributors to the AED
therapy section, we can attest that the Clin-Info Section is
evidence based and is updated and peer reviewed annually. The
major limitation of the section is that few physicians are aware
of its existence or usefulness. This hypothesis was confirmed by
the preliminary results of a survey that we conducted of family
physicians to determine the references they used to search for
information on AED (unpublished data, 1994).
We share Anderson and Lexchin's belief that multifaceted
intervention is needed to improve the quality of prescribing.
Since CPS is easily accessible to most physicians, the Clin-Info
Section could be used for the dissemination of drug information
to support improved prescribing. For the Clin-Info Section to
take on this new role, it would be prudent to expand it to
include information on current challenges in therapeutics, such
as those involving antihypertensive and antidepressant drugs. The
inclusion of excerpts from the treatment guidelines prepared by
various medical societies would be invaluable. With greater
awareness of the existence and usefulness of the Clin-Info
Section, it could certainly play a major role in providing
current, relevant, evidence-based information to meet the
ultimate goal of improving prescribing practices.
Simone Cowan, BScPhm
G. Bryan Young, MD, FRCPC
London Health Sciences Centre
London, Ont.
druginfo@lhsc.on.ca
CMAJ email
CMAJ Readers' Forum