Development of a Drug Information Webography and Push Notification Service

Abstract

Information stored on the Internet is not organized, monitored, or structured. Imparting the skills necessary to retrieve information from the Internet to trainees and novice health care professionals can therefore be challenging. A drug information webography and push notification process of featured Web site content were created by a drug information center to identify Web sites of interest to pharmacy practitioners, maintain a current listing of Web sites with medication-related information, and develop pharmacy students’ abilities to formally assess Web site quality. Students evaluate Web site content for potential applications to pharmacy practice, as well as navigability and quality, utilizing a structured approach. Narrative commentaries are then prepared, and features of each site are formally demonstrated. A single Web site is then featured on the center's Web site each week, with subsequent integration into a drug information webography. An announcement of each week's posting is made via push notification service. The webography is utilized by students and practitioners alike to locate drug information efficiently on the Internet.