3.15 Drug Monograph Information

General Policy Description

The following monographs are available on PharmaNet:

• Patient education monographs
• Counseling message monographs
• Drug-to-drug Interaction monographs (if implemented by the pharmacy software vendor)

Policy Details

Patient education monographs

Patient drug monograph information is supplied by First Data Bank (FDB) and is sometimes augmented by the College of Pharmacists of B.C. Optional access to generic-equivalent data is also available using the same PharmaNet transaction.

• Patient education monographs assist pharmacists in counseling patients about the proper use and side effects of medications. The information is presented in a manner that can be easily understood by a layperson and can be printed for the patient.
• The education long monograph is written and provided by FDB. It includes explanation of the reasons for taking the medication, how it should be taken, the potential side effects, and information on handling missed doses. It also details the precautions required when taking the medication, potential drug interactions, and proper storage.

Counselling message monographs

Counseling message monographs are available in pairs—one intended for the pharmacist and the other for the patient. Each pair of messages is rated according to the importance of the information to the patient. All messages have been designed for printing.

• Counseling professional monographs provide technical and sometimes detailed explanations regarding proper use, side effects and other information.
• Counseling patient monographs provide information equivalent to the counseling professional monographs in language that can be readily understood by a layperson.

Drug-to-Drug interaction monographs

A drug-to-drug interaction monograph for all possible drug-to-drug interactions for a given medication can be accessed by transmitting a single DIN. A monograph detailing the drug-to-drug interaction between two specific medications can be accessed by transmitting the two DINs.