Department of Pharmacy, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health Malaysia, 93586 Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Road, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2022 Jul 29;22(1):199. doi: 10.1186/s12911-022-01949-9.
Pharmacists are frequent users of mobile medical apps (MMA) for drug information (DI) and clinical decision-making purposes. However, the wide range of available MMA may be of variable credibility and results in heterogeneous recommendations. The need for subscription may also influence choice of apps.
The objective of this study was to determine the usage pattern of MMA among hospital pharmacists, including their perceptions and factors affecting their choice of apps.
This cross-sectional study required respondents to fill in an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included sections on respondents' demographic data, MMA usage pattern, perceived usefulness and opinion on subscription fees. Items were adapted from available literature and validated locally. It was made accessible for 6 weeks starting November 2019 for all pharmacists working in the 23 public hospitals in Sarawak to response (universal sampling). Collected data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
A response rate of 37.2% was achieved (n = 162). Respondents were heavily reliant on MMA, with 78.4% accessing them multiple times daily. The majority also agreed that MMA contain correct and up-to-date information. A median of 5 apps were downloaded, suggesting an ultimate app catering for all DI needs was lacking. The Malaysian Drug Formulary was the most downloaded app (88.3%), whereas Lexicomp® was the most "well-rounded" in terms of functionality. Clinical pharmacists were significantly more likely to purchase MMA, in particular UpToDate® (p < 0.01) due to their need to access clinical updates. Respondents highly recommended institutional access for either UpToDate® or Lexicomp® be made available. Pre-registration pharmacists should be guided on judicious MMA usage, as they downloaded significantly more apps and were more likely to indicate not knowing which DI recommendation to follow (both p < 0.01).
MMA has become an indispensable tool for hospital pharmacists, however there was a tendency to download multiple apps for DI needs. Institutional access can be considered for credible apps identified to ensure accuracy and uniformity of DI recommendations, with purchase decision made after surveying the needs and preferences of end users.
药剂师经常使用移动医疗应用程序（MMA）获取药物信息（DI）并做出临床决策。然而，现有的 MMA 种类繁多，可信度各不相同，导致推荐结果也存在差异。订阅可能也是影响应用程序选择的一个因素。
本研究旨在确定医院药剂师使用 MMA 的模式，包括他们对 MMA 的看法以及影响他们选择应用程序的因素。
本横断面研究要求受访者填写在线问卷。问卷包括受访者的人口统计学数据、MMA 使用模式、感知有用性以及对订阅费用的看法等部分。问卷中的项目是根据现有文献改编的，并在当地进行了验证。从 2019 年 11 月开始，所有在砂拉越 23 家公立医院工作的药剂师都可以在 6 周内（普遍抽样）回答问卷。收集的数据使用描述性和推断性统计进行分析。
我们获得了 37.2%的回应率（n=162）。受访者严重依赖 MMA，78.4%的人每天多次使用 MMA。大多数受访者还认为 MMA 包含正确且最新的信息。中位数下载了 5 个应用程序，这表明缺乏一个能够满足所有 DI 需求的终极应用程序。马来西亚药品配方是下载量最多的应用程序（88.3%），而 Lexicomp®在功能方面则是最“全面”的。临床药剂师更有可能购买 MMA，特别是 UpToDate®（p<0.01），因为他们需要获取临床更新。受访者强烈建议为 UpToDate®或 Lexicomp®提供机构访问权限。应该指导预注册药剂师明智地使用 MMA，因为他们下载的应用程序数量明显更多，并且更有可能表示不知道应该遵循哪个 DI 建议（均 p<0.01）。
MMA 已成为医院药剂师不可或缺的工具，但他们倾向于下载多个应用程序来满足 DI 需求。可以考虑为确定的可信应用程序提供机构访问权限，以确保 DI 建议的准确性和一致性，并在调查最终用户的需求和偏好后做出购买决策。
