ABSTRACT
Title
Drug Information Service: an informative campaign on “Drugs and G6PD deficiency”
Authors
P. Carta1, A. Deidda2, M.E. Stochino2, E. Mosca12, M. Del Zompo12
1Unit of Clinical Pharmacology - AOUCA, Cagliari
2Section of Clinical Pharmacology - Department of Neurosciences “B.B. Brodie”, University of Cagliari
1Unit of Clinical Pharmacology - AOUCA, Cagliari
2Section of Clinical Pharmacology - Department of Neurosciences “B.B. Brodie”, University of Cagliari
Abstract
An independent and scientifically valid public information on drugs is mainly attainable through a series of activities aimed at facilitating a correct use of drugs, orienting the process of therapeutic choices on the basis of scientific evidence, promoting the appropriateness of prescriptions and supporting the updating of health workers with the final intent of preserving patients’ well being.
The Unit of Clinical Pharmacology of the Hospital-University Agency of Cagliari (AOUCA) is performing a project entitled “Drug Information Service for the institutional communication on drug safety”, with the aim of reaching both health professionals and citizens and spreading the information on drugs.
Among the activities of this project, the Unit of Clinical Pharmacology has released the Italian edition of a brochure entitled "Médicaments et déficit en Glucose-6-Phosphate Déshydrogénase (G6PD)”, which was published in 2008 by the “Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé (Afssaps)”.
This brochure provides wide information on G6PD deficiency, including a list of active principles able to provoke hemolysis in G6PD-deficient subjects and the guidelines to follow in the prescription and employment of these drugs. The Italian edition of this publication, entitled “Drugs and G6PD deficiency” was printed and divulged between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.
The objective of this work is to describe an informative campaign as a valid tool for the spreading of information on high valued topics for health professionals as well as simple citizens.
The brochure is a useful tool for the use and prescription of some drugs with a potential or already known risk of causing a hemolytic anemia in G6PD-deficient subjects. This document reports the results of an evaluation conducted by a work group constituted for this scope by “Afssaps”.
The Italian edition was revised in order to update the list of active principles and adapt it to the current situation in our country; in total, 55 active principles and about 800 commercial names are included.
The data are structured in various cards, each one related to an active principle for which the list of all the correspondent commercial names is reported. Besides, for each active principle more information is given, such as the level of associated risk, guidelines and rules to follow in case of use of the drug, classified as follows: contraindicated, not recommended due to reported cases of acute hemolysis, not recommended due to the belonging to a risk category, not recommended at high doses, possible employment. This latter class mainly regards those active principles which were considered at risk in other lists available in the net, but have been recently re-evaluated, also because their belonging to those lists was based on old and controversial studies, whereas Afssaps has ascertained no assured risk exists following the use of those drugs in G6PD-deficient subjects. Each card is subdivided in four sections named “Particular suggestions for health workers”, “Guidelines for G6PD-deficient subjects”, “Additional information” and “Medicines”, the latter reporting the list of commercial names.
The brochure was printed in a limited number of copies and inserted in the drug information website of the Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, www.farmaci-fc.it. Its diffusion has been quite successful among health professionals and patients, also thanks to a wide coverage in the local media (radio, TV, press), confirmed by the high number of downloads from the website (about 800 in 3 weeks) and the need for the reprint of 200 additional copies, which is on the way.
All this shows the activity of an independent drug information service is one of the main key points on which the correct spreading of the drug knowledge is based, and is reflected by a higher quality of healthcare and a better use of drugs.
The Unit of Clinical Pharmacology of the Hospital-University Agency of Cagliari (AOUCA) is performing a project entitled “Drug Information Service for the institutional communication on drug safety”, with the aim of reaching both health professionals and citizens and spreading the information on drugs.
Among the activities of this project, the Unit of Clinical Pharmacology has released the Italian edition of a brochure entitled "Médicaments et déficit en Glucose-6-Phosphate Déshydrogénase (G6PD)”, which was published in 2008 by the “Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé (Afssaps)”.
This brochure provides wide information on G6PD deficiency, including a list of active principles able to provoke hemolysis in G6PD-deficient subjects and the guidelines to follow in the prescription and employment of these drugs. The Italian edition of this publication, entitled “Drugs and G6PD deficiency” was printed and divulged between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.
The objective of this work is to describe an informative campaign as a valid tool for the spreading of information on high valued topics for health professionals as well as simple citizens.
The brochure is a useful tool for the use and prescription of some drugs with a potential or already known risk of causing a hemolytic anemia in G6PD-deficient subjects. This document reports the results of an evaluation conducted by a work group constituted for this scope by “Afssaps”.
The Italian edition was revised in order to update the list of active principles and adapt it to the current situation in our country; in total, 55 active principles and about 800 commercial names are included.
The data are structured in various cards, each one related to an active principle for which the list of all the correspondent commercial names is reported. Besides, for each active principle more information is given, such as the level of associated risk, guidelines and rules to follow in case of use of the drug, classified as follows: contraindicated, not recommended due to reported cases of acute hemolysis, not recommended due to the belonging to a risk category, not recommended at high doses, possible employment. This latter class mainly regards those active principles which were considered at risk in other lists available in the net, but have been recently re-evaluated, also because their belonging to those lists was based on old and controversial studies, whereas Afssaps has ascertained no assured risk exists following the use of those drugs in G6PD-deficient subjects. Each card is subdivided in four sections named “Particular suggestions for health workers”, “Guidelines for G6PD-deficient subjects”, “Additional information” and “Medicines”, the latter reporting the list of commercial names.
The brochure was printed in a limited number of copies and inserted in the drug information website of the Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, www.farmaci-fc.it. Its diffusion has been quite successful among health professionals and patients, also thanks to a wide coverage in the local media (radio, TV, press), confirmed by the high number of downloads from the website (about 800 in 3 weeks) and the need for the reprint of 200 additional copies, which is on the way.
All this shows the activity of an independent drug information service is one of the main key points on which the correct spreading of the drug knowledge is based, and is reflected by a higher quality of healthcare and a better use of drugs.