Drug Information
Kristyn Williamson, PharmD
Teaching Specialist
© Regents of the University of Minnesota. This presentation is provided to facilitate the learning of participants within this course. It may not be modified, reproduced
and/or circulated for other means without the permission of the author. University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy.
Agenda
• Different types of literature
• How to tell if a website is reliable
• Can you “Google” your question?
• Other types of resources
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Primary Literature
• Publication of original research for a specific question
• Can also be sets of data or statistics
• You can access primary literature for health science topics through
the Biomedical Library (https://hsl.lib.umn.edu/biomed)
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Secondary Literature
• Summary of published literature on a specific topic
• Example: review articles
• Can be helpful when researching a big topic
• The conclusion is that of the author – beware of potential bias
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Tertiary Literature
• A collection of primary and secondary literature
• Most common are encyclopedias/almanacs
• Can condense primary and secondary literature into a summary
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Is this a reliable website?
• How to determine if a site is reliable
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Authority
Accuracy
Objectivity
Currency
Structure
• BioMedical Library: Evaluating web resources
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Authority
• Who is the author of the site?
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Is it a reputable organization?
Is it a personal site?
Is it a commercial site?
Can you contact the authors?
What is the domain of the site?
• .org/.com/.gov/.edu
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Accuracy
• What are the sources for this site?
• Are reference clearly listed?
• Can you verify these sources another way?
• Are charts and diagrams cited?
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Objectivity
• Is the information being presented in an objective way?
• Is the site selling something?
• Is there potential bias in the information?
• Is there advertising?
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Currency
• How current is this information?
• When was the site last updated?
• Is there information on how often the content is reviewed?
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Structure
• How user-friendly is the site?
• Are images useful?
• Can you search the site?
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Commonly Used Sites
• There are a few reputable sites we will use frequently in this class
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The Centers for Disease Control
Mayo Clinic
WebMD
The Food and Drug Administration
Major medical associations
• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart Association
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Is Google helpful?
• Drug company websites
• https://www.pfizer.com/products/product-detail/aricept
• Package insert (pages 1-12)
• Patient information (pages 13-14)
• Be careful of websites promoting a product!
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Example
• Look at www.MyChronicMigraine.com
• What do you think of this site as a resource?
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Authority
Accuracy
Objectivity
Currency
Structure
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Other Resources
• Reference books
• Pharmacists!
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