A two-year utilization of the pharmacist-operated drug information center in Iran

OBJECTIVE: To assess and describe the call services delivered by drug and poison information call center (DPIC) of 13-Aban pharmacy, which is closely operated by the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. METHODS: All calls services including counseled and follow-up calls provided by 13-Aban DPIC to health care professionals and public were collected, documented, and evaluated in a 2 years period from July 2010 to June 2012 using the designed software. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 16.0. FINDINGS: Totally 110,310 calls services delivered during a 2 years period. Among healthcare professionals, pharmacists, general physicians, and nurses requested more call services respectively (P = 0.001). DPIC could detect 585 potential cases of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and 420 cases of major drug-drug interactions (DDIs). CONCLUSION: This study by analyzing and reporting the two-years activities of one of the major DPICs in Iran, showed that DPICs can offer drug consultation for healthcare professional and public as well as detect and prevent ADRs and DDIs, and therefore can promote patients’ health regarding drug therapy.