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Paedpharm: Paediatric Pharmacy Network
Author(s) -
Graudins Linda V,
Turner Sean,
Kunac Desiree
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of pharmacy practice and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2055-2335
pISSN - 1445-937X
DOI - 10.1002/j.2055-2335.2009.tb00477.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pharmacy , family medicine , medical emergency
Background Up‐to‐date data on paediatric therapeutics, such as off‐label use of medicines, availability of unlicensed formulations and medication protocols are often not available. The paediatric pharmacy network (Paedpharm) was launched in 1999 to support paediatric pharmacists and provide a network for the exchange of information. Aim To describe Paedpharm subscribers; to assess utility and activity of the network; and to identify improvements to be made. Method A 7‐question survey was e‐mailed to Paedpharm subscribers. Data on Paedpharm posts (2000 to 2008) were obtained from the University of Otago. The posts for a 18‐month period (January 2007 to July 2008) were retrospectively reviewed to characterise the utility and activity of the network. Results Of the 168 Paedpharm subscribers, 100 subscribers replied to the survey (60% response rate). 89% of subscribers worked in public hospitals and 77% specialised in paediatrics. 70% of subscribers had used Paedpharm to help inform a treatment decision. There were 9107 posts from August 2000 to December 2008 and 987 posts for the 18‐month period (January 2007 to July 2008), of which 415 were new topics. The most popular topics were availability of products (21%) and protocols/guidelines (20%). The most popular therapeutic categories were nutrition/blood (16%) and antimicrobials (13%). Conclusion Paedpharm continues to be a valued service for pharmacists from a variety of paediatric specialties. Subscribers use the network for queries, formulating therapeutic guidelines and sharing information.