Overview, Challenges and Future Prospects of Drug Information Services in Nepal: A Reflective Commentary

Figures & data

Table 1 Current Status of Medicine Information Services in Nepal

SN.	Drug Information Center/Unit	Approximate Number of Queries (Monthly)	Current Users	Remarks
1	Maharajgunj Campus, Institute of Medicine (TUTH), Maharajgunj, Kathmandu	4 to 5	Healthcare professionals	Drug Information Unit is run by the Department of Clinical Pharmacology. Most of the queries are from health professionals regarding drug interaction and ADRs . The latest issue of the drug bulletin is released last month and is being published regularly.
2	Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara	10	Healthcare professionals	DIC provides information to the doctor, nurse and patients (through the Medication counseling center). There is no dedicated staff in the unit and the response to the queries is not documented. Queries are received verbally and are responded verbally. General queries are about medicine availability, cost, alternative medicine, method of administration etc.
3	Dhulikhel Hospital, Dhulikhel, Kavre	4–5	Healthcare professionals and patients	There is a separate space for PV and DIC. Patients of the hospital are counseled properly and are given the phone number of the DIC. The patients are asked to call the center for any drug-related problems or queries. The patient’s problems and queries are addressed verbally and no documentation is done. The DIC generally caters to patients and occasionally to doctors and paramedics.
4	Patan Hospital, Patan, Lalitpur	8–9	Healthcare professionals	DIC provides information to the doctor and other paramedical personnel. There is a space with books and journals but no dedicated staff. Medicine related queries are not documented and are responded verbally.
5	Nepal Cancer Hospital and Research Center,Lalitpur	5–6	Healthcare professionals (the majority being hospital pharmacists), cancer patients in outpatient pharmacy and family caregivers	There is a separate space for PV and DIC. Outpatients are counseled properly. Most queries come from pharmacists working at the hospital pharmacy. The patient’s problems and queries are addressed verbally and no documentation is done.
6	Department of Drug Administration, Bijulibazar, Kathmandu	The center uses drug information resources in evaluating new drug approvals	Regulatory authority staff	It publishes drug bulletin every month.

Notes: These numbers of queries in DIC are the ones which we obtained through personal communication from the centers. However, the actual numbers may be even more.