Audit of the de Haen Drugs-In-Use Drug Information System.

An audit of 100 abstracts from the de Haen Drugs-In-Use Drug Information System was conducted to determine the reliability of this drug information source. The original article was reviewed and compared with the information contained on the corresponding de Haen card. The card was audited for accuracy, completeness and judgment of abstraction. Forty-six cards contained at least one error. A total of 66 errors were observed: 47 involved errors of accuracy, 15 involved errors of completeness and 4 involved errors in judgment. The subscriber is urged to use the de Haen abstracts as a means of literature access only, and not as a primary source of drug information.