Independent of the manufacturer’s product information, this module references the most current international primary and tertiary literature on potential drug to drug interactions.
The Drug Interactions module warns healthcare providers if drugs being used by a patient or prescribed to a patient may interact with each other. An interaction record in the Drug Interactions module contains a description of the interaction, what could be expected if there is an interaction, severity of the interaction, strength of the supporting evidence and precautions needed. This helps the healthcare professional and, eventually, the patient to avoid treatment failures, adverse effects and toxicities that could be life threatening.
Overview
By selecting a single medicine to check, the Drug Interactions function will display all known interactions according to MIMS’ extensive, primary-literature based, independent research. Users can either browse through the list of possibilities or nominate to check specific drug-drug interactions by adding another medicine to the search matrix. An application of this may be a patient who is on multiple medications and a clinician is looking to add another medication. The Drug Interactions information will provide the clinician with information as to whether the new drug will interact with the existing medications the patient is on. It will also provide guidance on what course of action might be needed in order to ensure safe administration of the new drug if interactions exist.
It is important to note that the MIMS Drug Interactions information is based on clinical documented peer-reviewed evidence – not the interactions that are suggested as part of the drug’s product information.
For each result of the Drug Interactions function, there is an ‘at-a-glance’ summary of the interaction, including the interacting drug, a severity rating, the level of supporting documentation and a brief statement outlining the nature of the interaction. The result for each drug-drug interaction can be readily emailed or printed from a PDF for use by the clinician.
By clicking on the “Interaction Details” tab, for any highlighted interaction, much greater detail is provided– based on published evidence - including:
- Probable mechanism of action;
- Actions to take; and
- References/citations for the interaction
This extensive database of drug interactions is constantly reviewed and updated, and is an integrated element of all MIMS digital products.
Key Features
- Data and information are obtained only from recognised published medical literature or internationally accepted drug references, and not from the manufacturer's prescribing information
- Monthly literature searches are done to ensure that the information is up to date
- Monthly updates are completed using leads from online tertiary references. New prescribing indications are reviewed for new information and drug classes also undergo periodic review
- Accounts for Route of Administration
- Customisable user and alert interface
- Uses generic names and is able to recognise brand names
Editorial
MIMS, through its decision support editorial team comprising qualified pharmacists or doctors, brings trusted decision support tools to the Australian healthcare professional.
The editors research, review and collate the information to be included in the database, and ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date. To ensure optimum objectivity, data from product information, commercial or non-authoritative references is never used. Instead, the information is researched and reviewed using only international references and sources. A second editor proofreads all information before it is included in the database to ensure that the information is consistent and accurate.
