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Drug Information
Center, Manipal Teaching Hospital (DICMTH) |
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DICMTH was established
in November 2003 with support of United States Pharmacopoeia
Drugs Quality and Information (USPDQI)/United States
Agency for International Development (USAID). The
main mission of the center is to disseminate objective,
unbiased and standard drug related information in
order to promote the practice of evidence based medicine.
The DICMTH provides valuable information on drugs
and disease management that includes indication, dose,
dosage regimen, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions,
drug use in pregnancy, and dosage adjustment in renal/liver
failure, pharmacokinetics, etc to medical, nursing,
pharmacy, paramedical professionals and patients.
Pharmacovigilance cell and Medication Counseling Center
(MCC), the two different units of the center are involved
in reporting and monitoring of adverse drug reactions
in the hospital and provide medication counseling
to the patients of Western Nepal .
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| The main objectives of
the center are as follows |
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To provide answers
to drug related questions using high quality references.
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Publishing and disseminating
drug information bulletins for health care professionals
and consumers |
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Adverse drug reaction monitoring
programs |
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Formulary development and review
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Developing standard treatment
guidelines for common diseases |
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Continuing education programs
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Disseminating information on infectious
diseases such as tuberculosis and local drug resistance
pattern |
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Disseminating information on substandard
and counterfeit drugs. |
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| Among these
some of the objectives like providing drug information,
publishing and disseminating drug information bulletin,
reporting and monitoring of adverse drug reactions,
educating hospital pharmacists and patients are achieved
and these activities are going on. The center is also
working hard to fulfill other above mentioned object
as well. |
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| Facilities available at
DICMTH |
| The center has
the supporting facilities such as telephone, fax, computers
attached with printers, internet access etc. The center
is also equipped with several drug information sources
such as Micromedex electronic database, Martindale extra
pharmacopoeia, AHFS drug information, Meyler’s
side effect of drugs, Drug use in pregnancy, Rowland
Textbook of Clinical pharmacokinetics, USPDI Vols I
and II, Pediatric drugs hand book etc. The center also
has online access to several journals and Drug information
databases. |
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| Activities of the center |
| Drug
information and related activities
The center is involved in providing objective, unbiased
and standard drug information to health care professionals
and patients of the Western region of Nepal . All the
queries received by the center are documented in the
forms developed by the center. The center is planning
to compile the drug related queries and responses on
the standard electronic version, in near future. The
DICMTH also publishes the quarterly publication “Drug
Information Bulletin” and circulated through Nepal
and different centers abroad. The bulletin is mainly
focused on drugs and drug therapy so as to strengthen
the practice of evidence based medicine. |
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Madication
counseling and related activities
The DICMTH also runs a Medication Counseling
Center (MCC) with the objective of improving patient
adherence to drug therapy. It is located adjacent to
the out-patient pharmacy of Manipal Teaching Hospital.
The center is involved in providing medication counseling
to the patients regarding dose, duration of therapy,
side effects, methods to manage the side effects, information
on missed dose, contraindications, time of administration,
etc for the complicated dosage regimens. In some occasions
the patients are referred by the clinicians to the MCC
through the “Medication counseling request form”
placed in the out patient departments (OPDs). The MCC
is also involved in developing Patient Information Leaflets
for common diseases like Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Diseases (COPD), Hypertension, etc. The center
is also having plans to conduct patient education programs
for the chronically ill patients.
Pharmacovigilance
and related activities
The DICMTH also runs a Pharmacovigilance cell
that is involved in ensuring drug safety in Western
Nepal . To begin with, the center is focused on Spontaneous
Reporting Program of Adverse Drug Reaction reporting.
The ADR reporting forms are placed in the wards and
outpatient departments of the hospital. It is planned
to improve the Spontaneous Reporting Program in the
hospital to a full fledged Pharmacovigilance activity
in the near future. The unit also publishes a quarterly
issue of publication “Vigil” in ordered
to communicate with the healthcare members, patients
and general public regarding drug safety issues. |
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Future activities |
| The center is striving to
perform the following activities in the near future |
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Hospital formulary
for Manipal Teaching Hospital |
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Development of patient information
leaflets for commonly seen chronic diseases |
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Community pharmacy bulletin |
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Standard treatment guidelines
for infectious diseases |
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Continuing education programs
for working pharmacists |
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Conducting Pharmacoeconomic studies
with the objective of reducing healthcare cost in
Western Nepal |
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Conducting patient awareness programs
on drug safety at the community level |
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| Affiliations |
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Society of Hospital
Pharmacists, Australia (SHPA), Australia |
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Recognized correspondent of International
Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB) |
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| Contact the center
for |
| The center can be contacted for the
following purposes |
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Drug related information |
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Information on Adverse drug reactions |
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Management of poisoning cases |
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Information on medication counseling
for the patients etc. |
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Contact information
Working hours: 9.00-5.PM Sunday to Friday
Address
Drug Information Center,
III floor, Manipal Teaching Hospital,
Phulbari-11,
Pokhara, Nepal
Email : dicmth@fewanet.com.np
phone: +977-61-526416-9 (Extn 221)
+977-61-526420 (Direct)
Fax: +977-61-526420 |
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