Medicine Information Research Articles

Anonymous and robust biometric authentication scheme for secure social IoT healthcare applications

In the era of rapid technological advancement, the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionised healthcare through systems like the Telecare Medicine Information System (TMIS), designed to streamline patient-doctor interactions and enhance medical treatment. However, the transmission of sensitive patient data over inherently insecure Internet channels exposes it to a spectrum of security risks. Protecting patient medical privacy and ensuring system reliability necessitate mutual authentication between both patients and medical servers. TMIS relies on robust authentication mechanisms, and combining passwords and smart cards has been a recognised approach for mutual authentication. This research introduces an innovative three-factor authentication technique with perfect forward secrecy by leveraging the power of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) in tandem with smart cards. Additionally, we have incorporated biometric authentication with a Fuzzy Extractor technology to enhance the security and reliability of the system, setting a new standard for user authentication within the realm of Social IoT healthcare. The use of ECC in the method is justified due to its compact key size and robust security measures, making the solution both efficient and secure. The proposed method safeguards user privacy by permitting registered users to change their passwords without divulging their identity to the server. The Burrows–Abadi–Needham logic (also known as the BAN logic) serves as a proof-of-concept for the proposed scheme’s security. Our system provides privacy protection along with mutual authentication and session key negotiation at a considerably low computation cost and communication cost of up to 71.03% compared to the other four relevant techniques, making it more useful in real-world scenarios.

Analysis and Design of Indonesian Traditional Medicine (Jamu) Information System by using Prototyping Model (Case Study: Madura Island)

The rapid growth of traditional medicine among Indonesian has encouraged the emergence of various production and utilization of herbal medicine. Madura herbs has various types, ranging from herbs for women’s health to herbs for married couples. Considering the various types of Madurese herbal medicine, it is necessary to manage Madura herbs data including aspects of location, ingredient, side effects, etc. In order to record Indonesian traditional medicine, It is need to analyze and design an information system for Madurese herbs as media to provide more complete and faster access to Madurese herbs information. In this study, the authors will discuss the analysis and unified modeling language (UML) design of the Madura herbal medicine information system by taking case studies in Bangkalan and Sampang (Madura). The analysis phase uses the PIECES analysis approach by describing the current conditions of Madurese herbal medicine. UML design, represented by use case diagram, will explain the functionality of the system based on PIECES analysis. From the PIECES analysis and UML design, we can determine what features are needed in the information system so it’s able to assist the development and implementation of the Madura herbs information system. This information system developed by using prototyping model that describes the system so that the client or system owner has a clear picture of the system that built.

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Information

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Information

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Information

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Information

Patients' Experiences and Preferences for Medicine Information: An International Comparison Between Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and England.

Verbal and written medicine information are available to the public but the quality, ease of access, ease of understanding and use of these resources varies greatly between countries. Timely access to quality medicine information is essential to support patient safety. This international cross-sectional survey, conducted in low-to high-income countries, aimed to compare experiences of and preferences for medicine information sources among respondents with recent medicine use. The survey was originally developed in England (Kent), then adapted and translated for use in southern Thailand (Songkhla), Malaysia (Klang Valley), and central Uganda (Kampala). Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and Chi-squared tests. A total 1588 respondents were involved in the study. Community pharmacies were the primary source of medicines in all four countries (40.7 to 65.3%). Most respondents (1460; 92%) had received at least one form of information with their medicine, but provision of written medicine information (WMI) varied between countries. A manufacturer's leaflet was the most frequent information source for patients in England, while verbal information was common in Thailand, Malaysia and Uganda. There was commonality across countries in the desire for verbal information with or without WMI (1330; 84.8%); aspects of medicine information wanted most frequently were instructions on medicine use (98.3%), indication (98.2%), name (94.4%) and possible side effects (94.3%); and the importance of providing leaflets with all medicines (87.5%). Fewer than 10% in Uganda would use internet based WMI, compared to between 20% and 55% elsewhere. Preferences for medicine information are similar across countries: verbal information is seen as most desirable, and the most wanted aspects of information are common internationally. Accessibility and understandability are key influences on preferred information sources. In-country regulations and practices should ensure that all medicine users can access the information necessary to maximise safe medicine use.

Medical Records in Field Operations: A No-Code Approach

Abstract Commercial Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in the U.S. are hospital-centric and are optimized for billing and insurance processes and liability risk management. Operational medicine has completely different medical record requirements, with dynamic and unpredictable environments and a focus on field triage, emergent patient needs, logistical coordination, and ultimately, the efficient transfer of care. The DHS Office of Health Security’s Medical Information Exchange (MIX) and the DHA’s Joint Operational Medicine Information Systems (JOMIS) programs have been exploring EHR solutions which anticipate and support the multilateral collaborations and fluid circumstances of field-based medical care using a no-code (drag and drop) solution that can be tailored to requirements in real time, can scale down to mobile devices, and can retain full functionality even while offline.

Appointment Booking and Drug Inventory System in Healthcare Services Using Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry by improving data security, reducing administrative inefficiencies, and enabling the seamless sharing of medical information. In the healthcare sector, blockchain can be applied to a wide range of use cases, such as medical record-keeping, clinical trials, drug traceability, and telemedicine. By using a secure, decentralized system, healthcare organizations can ensure that sensitive patient data is kept confidential and can be easily accessed by authorized parties. Additionally, the use of smart contracts can contribute to reducing the risk of errors and saving time and resources. In the proposed work, a decentralized application integrates healthcare services with blockchain technology to ensure transparency and security and prevent tampering with electronic medical records. The three main functionalities implemented in this work are to provide a transparent appointment booking system where patients can view the real-time availability status of the doctors and book an appointment with the doctor of their choice, and to store and retrieve data in an efficient and secure manner. To maintain a transparent and tamper-resistant medical inventory to prevent the unauthorized sale of medicines and drugs and also verify the availability of the drug. This helps the patients get the drugs in the quickest manner possible. Compared to existing centralized storage techniques, the proposed decentralized storage technique provides higher data availability, the fastest response time, and immutable storage of existing data. Experimental results show that, compared to existing work, the proposed work provided better results in throughput and latency. The communication cost of the proposed technique is 7% lesser than the existing Telecare Medicine Information system.

Characteristics and outcomes in elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and high bleeding risk: subanalysis of the J-RHYTHM Registry

Recently, a once-daily dose of edoxaban (15-mg) has been approved for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients aged ≥ 80 years, in whom standard oral anticoagulants are not recommended because of high bleeding risk (HBR), based on the ELDERCARE-AF trial. However, information regarding the characteristics and clinical outcomes among such patients is limited. Thus, this study aimed to clarify the characteristics and event rates in elderly patients with NVAF and HBR defined by the ELDERCARE-AF criteria. Of the 7406 NVAF outpatients included in the J-RHYTHM Registry, 60 patients with creatinine clearance (CrCl) < 15 mL/min were excluded. The remaining 7346 patients (age, 69.7 ± 9.9 years; men, 70.9%; warfarin use, 78.7%) were divided into three groups: Group 1, aged < 80 years (n = 6165); Group 2, aged ≥ 80 years without HBR (n = 584); and Group 3, aged ≥ 80 years with HBR (at least one of the followings; CrCl, 15–30 mL/min, history of bleeding, body weight ≤ 45 kg, and antiplatelet use) (n = 597, eligible for 15-mg edoxaban). Patients in Group 3 had a higher prevalence of comorbidities, and therefore, both higher thromboembolic and bleeding risk scores than in the other groups. During the 2-year follow-up period, the incidence rates (per 100 person-years) of thromboembolism in Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 0.7, 1.5, and 2.1 (P < 0.001), major hemorrhage, 0.8, 1.2, and 2.0 (P < 0.001), and all-cause death, 0.8, 2.6, and 4.6 (P < 0.001), respectively. Adjusted hazard ratios of Group 3 were 1.64 (95% confidence interval 0.89–3.04, P = 0.116) for thromboembolism, 1.53 (0.85–2.72, P = 0.154) for major hemorrhage, and 1.84 (1.19–2.85, P = 0.006) for all-cause death compared with Group 1. The NVAF Patients aged ≥ 80 years with HBR defined by the ELDERCARE-AF criteria were certainly at a higher adverse event risk, especially for all-cause death. Clinical trial registration: The J-RHYTHM Registry is registered in the University Hospital Medicine Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry (unique identifier: UMIN000001569) http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/.

Seasonality and temporal variation of pediatric trauma in Southern California

IntroductionSeasonality of pediatric trauma has been previously described, although the association of season with hour of presentation is less understood. Both factors have potential implications for resource allocation and team preparedness. MethodsA multicenter retrospective study was conducted to analyze the records of injured children <18 years-old who presented to one of the 15 trauma centers within Los Angeles County. Data from the County Trauma and Emergency Medicine Information System Registry was abstracted from 1/1/10 to 12/31/21. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury (MOI) and time of presentation by season were analyzed using Kruskal Wallis tests and chi-square tests. ResultsA total of 30,444 pediatric trauma presentations were included. Both the time of presentation and the MOI differed significantly by season with p < 0.001. Autumn had a higher incidence of pedestrian injuries during hours of 08:00 and 15:0020:00, and sports injuries from 16:00 to 21:00. In the Summer there were more burns between 17:00 and 23:00 and falls from greater than 10 ft after 13:00. The mode of transport used was also different across seasons (p = 0.03), with the use of both air and ground EMS greatest during summer and least during winter. The hours of greatest utilization remained relatively constant for all seasons for air transport (18:00–19:00 h) and ground transport (19:00–20:00 h). ConclusionThese data demonstrate the significant seasonal and temporal variation within pediatric trauma. These findings could be used to inform improvements in emergency response, and resource allocation in particular.

IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology Publication Information

IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology Publication Information

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Information

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Information

Cryptanalysis on “a secure three-factor user authentication and key agreement protocol for TMIS with user anonymity ”

The health-care delivery services were made possible by telecare medicine information systems (TMIS). These systems are paving the way for a world where computerised telecare facilities and automated patient medical records are the norm. Authentication schemes are common mechanisms for preventing unauthorised access to medical records via insecure networks. Amin and Biswas recently proposed an authentication scheme for TMIS, asserting that their scheme can withstand various attacks. Despite this, their scheme still has significant security weaknesses. In this paper, we present a cryptanalysis of Amin and Biswas’ scheme and show that it is subject to a variety of attacks.

Remote Sensing Application in Chinese Medicinal Plant Identification and Acreage Estimation—A Review

Chinese Materia Medica Resources (CMMRs) are crucial for developing the tradition and industry of traditional Chinese medicine. Given the increasing demand for CMMRs, an accurate and effective understanding of CMMRs is urgently needed. Chinese medicinal plants (CMPs) are the most important sources of CMMRs. Traditional methods of investigating medicinal plant resources have limitations, including severe subjectivity and poor timeliness, which make it difficult to meet the demand for real-time monitoring of large-scale medicinal plant resources. In recent years, remote sensing technology has become an important means of obtaining information on medicinal plants, and the application of this technology has made up for the shortcomings of traditional methods. This paper first discusses the development of investigation methods of CMMRs; points out the importance of remote sensing technology in the application of spatial distribution and information identification and extraction of Chinese medicinal plant resources (CMPRs); analyzes the characteristics of CMPs in different planting patterns, different habitats, and different regions from the perspective of remote sensing information extraction; and explores the selection of suitable data sources, providing a reference for medicinal plant identification and information extraction. Secondly, according to the existing classification and identification methods, previous studies are summarized from the perspectives of classification scales, classification features, and classification accuracy, and the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly used remote sensing classification methods in the investigation of CMPRs are summarized and compared. Finally, the development trend of remote sensing technology in the identification and information extraction of CMPs is examined, and the key technical problems to be solved in the identification and classification of CMPs and the extraction of area information are summarized so as to provide technical support and experience references for the application of remote sensing in the investigation of CMPRs.

Development and outcomes of a pilot risk assessment process and expert panel for medicines procured in an NHS Acute Trust

Abstract Introduction The risk assessment process for new medicines procured into NHS Acute Trusts varies between organisations. National guidance identifying categories of medicines requiring risk assessment is lacking. A UK Medicines Information (UKMi) developed risk assessment tool1 was fully completed for all new medicines procured at the Trust without exception, consuming significant clinical pharmacist resource. Completed risk assessments received review and approval by the specialty Principal Pharmacist only. Wider input from the Medication Safety team was sought if identified as required by the pharmacist completing or reviewing the tool. Aim To pilot a rationalised risk assessment process for newly procured medicines and measure the effect of implementation on clinical pharmacist workload and satisfaction, identification of risks and mitigations. Methods The rationalised risk assessment process was informed by a working group encompassing formulary, governance, medication safety and clinical service leads. The UKMi risk assessment tool was adapted and National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) parenteral medicine risk assessment2 incorporated. A flowsheet triaging medicines requiring risk assessment was agreed. This included; unlicensed medicines, off-label use, parenteral medicines with an NPSA score over 2, controlled drugs, changes to concentration/excipients, known safety concerns e.g. due to national alerts, and any other medicine deemed high risk such as anticoagulants, cytotoxics, insulins and intrathecals. A New Drug Panel (NDP) was established, comprising a broad range of senior pharmacy leaders including the chief pharmacist. The NDP convened 6 weekly to agree the process, review risk assessments and propose additional mitigations. The process was piloted for 6 months (November 2021-May 2022). During the pilot, the number of new medicines procured and number of completed risk assessments were measured, alongside outcomes of NDP review. At the end of the pilot, users were invited to provide feedback directly via email and this was collated. Ethical approval was not required for this service evaluation. Results During the pilot, 248 requests to add medicines to the pharmacy dispensing system were made; 124 (50%) were new medicines to the Trust. 55/124 (44%) were triaged requiring risk assessment. The NDP met 4 times; 45/55 completed risk assessments were reviewed, 4 of which were considered via email due to urgency. The remaining 10 were scheduled for review at the next meeting. A total of 14 additional mitigations were advised and actioned for 12/41 (29%) new drugs reviewed, the remaining risk assessments were approved without further mitigations. Four pharmacists provided feedback and 100% was positive. The modified risk assessment was preferred due to ease of completion and improved clarity. Discussion/Conclusion A modified risk assessment process was piloted successfully; the number of required risk assessments halved releasing clinical pharmacist time and improving satisfaction with the process. Risk of patient harm was reduced through establishment of an expert NDP who identified a number of additional risk mitigations. No issues were identified from the medicines which were triaged out of the risk assessment process, though these would only be identified retrospectively. Limitations included that user feedback could have been collated more robustly, e.g., to provide more specific responses.

Beyond the boundaries of ward-based services – exploring the scope of “non-traditional” clinical pharmacy practice in a tertiary referral teaching hospital

Abstract Introduction Hospital clinical pharmacy practice in the UK has developed beyond traditional boundaries of ward-based inpatient services. Royal Pharmaceutical Society Hospital Pharmacy Standards recommend pharmacy team members are integrated into multidisciplinary teams across the organisation to ensure safe and appropriate medicines use whatever the setting1. Pharmacy professionals provide pharmaceutical care and specialist services in outpatient and ambulatory settings and through participation in multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings. Within the outpatient setting, research typically focusses on single outpatient clinics within specific disciplines, little evidence describes the overall contribution to patient care across whole pharmacy services2. Aim To describe the scope of clinical pharmacy services occurring beyond traditional ward-based services in a tertiary hospital; including quantification of outpatient clinics and MDT meetings provided by pharmacy professionals. Methods The Deputy Chief Pharmacist invited clinical Principal Pharmacists to participate in semi-structured interviews exploring the scope of “non-traditional” services across the Trust during March 2023. Non-traditional services were defined as direct clinical care outside of ward-based inpatient clinical pharmacy services. Indirect clinical care activities such as guideline writing, drug expenditure and governance activities were excluded. Inpatient board rounds/ward rounds and any service not currently provided due to vacancy were excluded. Participants were asked to quantify services provided, advise who provided the services and to describe contributions provided by the pharmacy team. The study was deemed service evaluation and ethical approval waived. Results 100% invited pharmacists participated. Pharmacists attended and contributed to over 150 MDT meetings monthly across 24 sub-specialities; 80% were for outpatients. In tertiary/quaternary services, these frequently covered patients beyond local geography. MDT meetings were typically attended by specialist, principal or consultant pharmacists. Common contributions included: provision of pro-active advice/responding to queries; medicines optimisation; monitoring; income or compliance assurance; prescribing/deprescribing. Specialist pharmacists provided 80-100 outpatient clinic sessions across 17 sub-specialities through a mix of face-to-face and virtual appointments, advanced pharmacy technicians provided on-treatment and counselling clinics. Activities included: initiation, monitoring, adjustment and cessation of medicines; patient counselling and MDT referral. Medicines prescribed were typically high cost, complex and higher risk. Pharmacists prescribed and clinically verified homecare medicines and provided ongoing annual review of outpatient medicines, including prescribing/deprescribing. Teams described medicines reconciliation and counselling in ambulatory haematology settings, off-site units and infusion suites. The team organised, optimised and provided advice and counselling for patients requiring antimicrobial therapies at home. Clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians provided medicines information to patients, internal and external healthcare professionals. Discussion/Conclusion This study provides evidence of the broad scope of clinical pharmacy practice beyond the boundaries of traditional ward-based services in a tertiary teaching hospital. This study was limited to a single organisation, specific clinical pharmacy activities and outcomes of these services were not fully quantified. Formal collation of clinical pharmacy activities within “non-traditional” outpatient and ambulatory settings is limited because activity data collection forms in hospital pharmacy are typically validated in traditional ward-based pharmacy services. We recommend further studies to validate activity collection tools to benchmark the activities of clinical pharmacy professionals providing services in outpatient and ambulatory settings both within and between hospital Trusts.

Service evaluation of the implementation of SGLT-2 Inhibitor checklist on information communicated and documented to patients and transfer of care-records

Abstract Introduction Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter 2 (SGLT-2) Inhibitors’ therapeutic role has evolved1 as recent clinical trials showed they have beneficial effects across all stages of the cardio-renal metabolic spectrum2. There are different indications and specialities responsible for the initiation of these medications, so communication from health professionals to patients and documentation of this on transfer of care records is paramount3. It is important all health-care professionals ensure their clinical knowledge is current and updated to be able to communicate accurate and correct information to patients on their medications. A SGLT-2 Inhibitor counselling checklist was developed and approved for implementation in The Trust to promote awareness of new clinical guidelines and support the counselling provided to patients. The checklist included recommendations of the information to communicate and document on patient care records. Aim The aim was to assess the impact of the SGLT-2 Inhibitor counselling checklist on the information provided to patients and to identify if the indication and speciality responsible were recorded on transfer of patient care records for patients newly prescribed SGLT-2 inhibitors. Methods Ethical approval was not required for this quantitative research service evaluation. A data collection tool designed in Excel Microsoft 365 was used to collect data. Data was collected manually by the lead author retrospectively (pre-implementation of the checklist) from 1st January – 30th March 2022, and prospectively (post-implementation) from 1st July – 30th September 2022 from discharge prescriptions detailing newly prescribed SGLT-2 Inhibitors related to patients from four selected wards (A- D). Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out to compare the pre and post implementation data. Results Over the 6 month study period, a total of 110 patients were newly prescribed a SGLT-2 Inhibitor (63 pre- implementation and 47 post implementation). There was increased information communicated to patients in the post implementation group when compared to the pre implementation group. The percentage of patients provided with medicine information books and ‘protect my kidney’ cards increased from 25% to 70% and the proportion that received counselling increased from 27% to 70%. The indication and speciality involved with initiation and prescribing of SGLT-2 Inhibitors was well communicated and documented from 3% unknown in the pre group compared to 0% in the post implementation group. Discussion/Conclusion Despite this study being limited to a short collection period and a small sample size, the data collected demonstrates that the SGLT-2 inhibitor counselling checklist can increase the information communicated to patients and improve information included on transfer of care records, which is paramount between healthcare professionals to ensure a seamless transfer of care3. A key implication is the need to ensure use of counselling checklists as part of the discharge process.

Breastfeeding women in need of information about antiemetics for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: a review of inquiries to a medicines information service.

Introduction: The medicines information service, SafeMotherMedicine, regularly receives inquiries from breastfeeding women asking about antiemetics for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) or hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). However, treatment guidelines for NVP or HG do not address the use of antiemetics in women who are breastfeeding while becoming pregnant again. Our objective was to characterize inquiries to describe the need for lactation risk information among women with NVP or HG and also to raise awareness of this topic. Method: We conducted a review of inquiries to the Norwegian web-based medicines information service, SafeMotherMedicine. Results: In total, 97 inquiries addressing the use of antiemetics for NVP or HG during breastfeeding were identified. The following medications were addressed in the inquiries (n = 97): meclizine (51%), metoclopramide (33%), promethazine (16%), ondansetron (9%), and others (6%). The breastfed child was older than 6months and 1year in 96% and 71% of the inquiries, respectively. There was a preponderance of general inquiries (unclear motivation/double checking) (64%); however, one-third of the inquiries were generated by restrictive information from sources such as product information. Conclusion: Based on our small review of spontaneous inquiries, there seems to be an information need about the use of antiemetics during lactation among women breastfeeding an older infant whilst suffering from NVP or HG. Addressing such use in guidelines for NVP and HG and/or other easily available information sources may be considered in order to balance out the restrictive information provided by the manufacturers. This could avoid potential unnecessary weaning of breastfeeding in an otherwise challenging situation.

Smartphone Usage Patterns Among Postgraduate Medical Students: A Central India Perspective on Adaptive Learning in Medicine.

Introduction Technological developments are drawn on a path of continuous inventions. Smartphones have been used in educational activities to access course content, acquire information related to students' performance, and encourage discussion and sharing between students and teachers. Students as learners are the drivers of using new technology for their learning needs, and this is always evolving. Aim The aim of the study is to assess the usage of smartphones for academic learning among postgraduatemedical students in a teaching institute in Central India. Materials and methods This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted on 130 postgraduatemedical students for a period of four months from 1 January 2022 to 30April 2022. Results The mean age of the study subjects was 28.34 ± 3.22 years with the range being 23 to 44 years.Smartphones had a significant impact on the academic learning of postgraduate medical students.The major impacts of smartphones on academic learning were in the form of improved learning skills (60.91%), timely completion of assignments (40%), increased participation in discussions (34.55%), enhanced academic performance (33.64%), and development of critical and innovative thinking (29.09%). Conclusion A significant proportion of medical postgraduates are utilizing smartphones and social media for academic purposes. Although this new technology offers the potential to enhance learning and patient care, ithas some inherent problems associated with its use. However, it may go a long way in redefining how we manage information in medicine.

Putative Items for Oral Diagnostic and Surgical Department Information Sheet

Introduction: In oral surgery practice the student needs to implement wide scope of acquired theoretical knowledge. This knowledge includes theoretical understanding of intertwined biomechanics of teeth and jaw bone structures. In addition, student should have suitable relevant medical knowledge with direct and indirect influence of different medical conditions on oral surgical procedures. Through addressing students concerns and performances within two related previous studies within this research project it might be possible to utilize single patient information sheet for both diagnostic and surgical dental education. Aim of the study: To improve dental students' cognitive skills through unified diagnostic and technical training approach. Materials and Methods: One hundred and nineteen 5th year dental students from College of Dentistry, Almustansiriyah University, agreed to participate in the study. The students were asked to state their preference toward each question in oral medicine and oral surgery information sheets. Descriptive and analytic statistics were performed using SPSS Ver.23. Results: students prefer oral medicine items in different levels. The highest level of difference is shown in history of present illness (HPI) item. This has been statistically confirmed. Detailed types of question have shown to be the main reason for preference compared to other reasons. The second reason for preference was easiness of questions. This has been statistically confirmed (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Based on this study within the context of the research project, a standard patient information sheet items is suggested for a single department under the name of oral diagnostic and surgical department for undergraduate dental education.

A Retrospective Review of COVID-19 Medicines Information Queries in a Quaternary Hospital with Unique COVID-19 Border Controls

Background: Medicines information (MI) is a specialist area of pharmacy that provides evidence-based answers to often complex medication queries, utilising resources such as textbooks and databases. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a need to change the way COVID-19-related queries were answered due to the rapid evolution of information on vaccination, treatment and prevention. Methods: Medicines information queries were retrospectively reviewed utilising the centre’s medicines information database from January 2020 through December 2022 using the COVID-19 keyword to retrieve relevant queries. Information was collected on the enquirer’s role, query category, time taken to complete the query, relevant keywords and references accessed. Keywords and references were analysed further to determine the types of queries asked and which references were helpful. Results: The centre received 214 COVID-19-related queries, predominantly in 2022. Most queries were from pharmacy staff (95.8%) and related to vaccination (n = 95, 44.4%) or treatment (n = 87, 40.7%). Government and specialist organisation websites were used most commonly as reference sources (24.6% and 16.5%, respectively) for their currency with COVID-19-specific resources (such as national guidelines, COVID-19 treatment interaction checkers) and textbooks/databases used less commonly. Conclusions: MI pharmacists have demonstrated their ability to obtain reliable COVID-19-related information, utilising and interpreting information from less traditional sources.