Drug Information: A Guide for Pharmacists>Chapter 2. Modified Systematic Approach to Answering Questions>

INTRODUCTION

An essential component within pharmacy practice is the ability to effectively answer questions posed by health care professionals and the lay public. In 1975, Watanabe et al. presented a systematic approach for responding to drug information requests. The systematic approach comprised of five steps, as outlined in , and was developed to provide instructions for pharmacy students. These concepts were expanded and embellished to produce a textbook on the subject of drug information services. For several years the original article and subsequent textbook served as the core for training pharmacy students and practitioners about responding to drug information requests. The systematic approach principles were utilized in assuring quality for drug information service responses, training in drug information skills, and developing and enhancing programs (see ). New technologies have facilitated the labor-intensive teaching of the systematic approach to students and practitioners, either in a modified version as the subject of a computer program or as a module of a more complete drug information computer program. The modified systematic approach has been adapted by others and used for the combined purposes of quality assurance and student evaluation in drug information clerkships.

Table 2–1. Systematic Approach (1975)

Step I.

Classification of the request

Step II.

Obtaining background information

Step III.

Systematic