Drug information (medication information, or drug informatics) refers to the discovery, use, and management of information regarding the use of medications. Drug information runs the gamut from identification, cost, and pharmacokinetics to dosage and adverse effects. Information about anatomy, health, or diseases might be needed to better utilize the drug information.
Drug information sources have been traditionally classified in three different categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary:
PRIMARY SOURCES
SECONDARY SOURCES
TERTIARY SOURCES
Text attributed to the University of Washington Libraries CC BY-NC 4.0
A more detailed discussion of these categories can be found in the following chapter:
Factual, not interpretive, such as:
Primary research might contain charts or graphs, but will not include pictures or advertisements.
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Trade magazines, dictionaries, handbooks, textbooks, and manuals. The information is usually condensed or summarized. Examples: Merck Manual, Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment.
Questions that can be answered using tertiary sources:
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