Utilizing Resources to Stay Up-to-Date/Review Information
As a second-year resident and a pharmacist preparing to enter the work force, I am constantly trying to find resources to make sure I stay up-to-date on patient-care and pharmacotherapy. The best (and for some, worst) part about medicine is that it is always changing; there are always new innovative therapies coming out for our patients in order to optimize their care.
In health care, it is vital to stay involved and active in the profession and recognize and utilize all resources available to you. I’ve compiled a few of my favorite resources here:
The Medical Letter/Prescriber’s Letter
Newsletters discussing new therapies or innovative practices
- The Medical Letter ($159/year)
- Prescriber's Letter ($139/year)
Drug Information Centers
- Duke University Drug Information
- Campbell University Drug Information Center
- Website or app
- May submit a drug information question that may require a short (brief review of literature) or long (extensive review of literature) response- may take 2-3 days for response
- May also submit article requests for articles that you may not have access to
Databases
- LexiComp and Clinical Pharmacology
- Both offer extensive information on dosing, side effects, drug interactions etc.
- Clinical Pharmacology may be more extensive in information
- LexiComp is a good, quick reference
- Up-To-Date and DynaMed Plus
- Both offer overviews for disease states
- Up-To-Date is evidence based, peer written and reviewed
- DynaMed Plus is evidence based and guideline oriented
Podcasts
Great for when you need to stay up-to-date but also need to multitask. I usually listen to my pharmacy podcasts on the way to and from work
- 2 Docs Talk: Discuss doctor-patient relationships and “hot button medical topics”
- NEJM This Week: Audio summary of NEJM RSS feed
- AMA Doc Talk: Real-world experiences shared
- STAT: This podcast is focused on ER medicine and talks about medical mysteries, scary diseases, and coroner cases.
- Disclaimer: I threw this one in here for those who love true crime mysteries and stories.
Guidelines (Top Disease States)
- Diabetes Guidelines (ADA): Update every year in January
- Hypertension (ACC/AHA): Last updated 2018
- COPD Guidelines (GOLD): Updated every year
- Asthma Guidelines (GINA): Last updated 2018
Other great ways to stay updated
- Stay in touch with the school you graduated with/alumni association, and offer continuing education programs from faculty and residents
- Become connected with local schools of medicine, and offer continuing education programs and mentorhship
- Attend annual meetings for local, state, or national organizations
Sarah Russell is a second-year pharmacy resident with the Duke Family Medicine. Email srussell@campbell.edu with questions.
Editor’s note: Duke Family Medicine residents guest blog every month. Blogs represent the opinion of the author, not the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program, the Department of Community and Family Medicine or Duke University.