Sources of drug information in neonatal guidelines of low- and middle-income countries

Kelsey L Japs; Cathi Dennehy; Sylvia Stoffella; Jonathan Faldasz; Joshua Bress

doi:10.1111/ijpp.12502

Sources of drug information in neonatal guidelines of low- and middle-income countries

Int J Pharm Pract. 2019 Jun;27(3):322-324. doi: 10.1111/ijpp.12502. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Authors

Kelsey L Japs¹, Cathi Dennehy², Sylvia Stoffella³, Jonathan Faldasz³, Joshua Bress⁴

Affiliations

¹ VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
² University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy, San Francisco, CA, USA.
³ University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁴ Global Strategies, Albany, CA, USA.

PMID: 30604466
DOI: 10.1111/ijpp.12502

Abstract

Objective: Identify drug information (DI) resources used in neonatal practice guidelines in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: Individuals with knowledge of national neonatal guideline development completed a descriptive, cross-sectional survey.

Key findings: Eighty-five per cent (33/39) of respondents fully completed the survey. Physicians from university hospitals in Africa were primary respondents. Forty-five per cent (15/33) used a single national neonatal guideline. Primary neonatal resources for drug dosing and preparation were as follows: (1) World Health Organization Pocketbook of Hospital Care for Children, (2) Pediatric & Neonatal Dosage Handbook and (3) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for Infants and Neonatal pathways.

Conclusion: Low- and middle-income countries with single national neonatal guidelines cite a finite range of DI resources.

Keywords: drug information; guidelines; international; neonatal.

MeSH terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
Developing Countries
Drug Information Services / standards*
Health Personnel / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Neonatology / standards*
Practice Guidelines as Topic*
Surveys and Questionnaires / statistics & numerical data