A. How to Use the Workbook · How to Use the Workbook A.1 A. How to Use the Workbook ... Aim of the Workbook The aim of this workbook is to support your training in Medicines Information,
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How to Use the Workbook
A.1
A. How to Use the Workbook
Please read these notes first before using the workbook.
This workbook has four introductory sections and twenty Tutorials.
It is recommended that pre-registration pharmacists complete the introductory sections A, B, C andD, and Tutorials numbered 1 to 7. Pre-registration pharmacists should spend a minimum of 4 weeksin an MI centre.
Junior rotational pharmacists who have completed the above are advised to attempt at least the nextseven Tutorials. The final six Tutorials are optional. Junior rotational pharmacists who are new to MIwill probably need to start at the beginning of the workbook and complete the pre-registrationsections described above first, as deemed appropriate by their MI tutor. More experiencedpharmacists working in MI would be expected to complete all twenty Tutorials in due course.
Various sections of the workbook are recommended for technicians working in MI, clinicalpharmacists, PCT advisers and others. All of these recommendations are summarised in Table 1 onpage A.4.
Throughout the workbook you will see prompts for you to refer to the computer-aided learningpackage MiCAL, if available. This is complementary to the training workbook and enables you topractice enquiry answering via an interactive CD ROM. If you wish to purchase this, please contactyour regional MI centre for more details.
Changes to this Edition
The most important changes to this version of the workbook are the addition of two new Tutorials onChildren and Medicines, and Psychiatry. We are particularly proud that the Neonatal and PaediatricPharmacists Group have co-authored the Tutorial on children, and will be shared between theirmembers and the MI community.
To make room for these, we’ve moved the Tutorials on Product Availability and Clinical Trials andLicensing to the UKMi website, and the Pharmacokinetics Tutorial towards the back of the workbook.
This section contains the aims and objectives of this workbook.
It also contains a checklist for you and your tutor to keep track of the Tutorials you havecompleted (See Table 2). It is recommended that after completion of each Tutorial you completeat least two relevant enquiries from your base hospital. There is space on the checklist for youto write the titles of the enquiries you have answered. Copies of the enquiries you havecompleted can be stored in your CPD file.
This section also contains generic assessment forms for pre-registration and junior rotationalpharmacists that you and your MI tutor may like to use during your appraisals. However yourMI tutor may wish to continue using assessment forms developed locally.
For pre-registration pharmacists the generic assessment form lists the Royal PharmaceuticalSociety of Great Britain (RPSGB) performance standards that relate to Medicines Information,together with ideas for learning activities to help you gain evidence and suggested methods ofassessment for your MI tutor (See Table 3).
Similarly for junior rotational pharmacists, the assessment form lists the relevant competencystatements taken from the UKMi Competency Framework, with ideas for learning activitiesand example methods of assessment for your MI tutor (See Table 4). Other competencyframeworks do exist (e.g. Knowledge and Skills Framework, General Level Framework) socheck with your tutor how you will be assessed.
Section B
Section B is about the UK Medicines Information network (UKMi). It describes the structure ofUKMi, who the users of our service are and the type of work we do.
Section C
Section C is about enquiry answering. It includes details of how to receive enquiries aboutmedicines, how and why to document them and how to answer them.
Section D
Section D is about the resources used in Medicines Information. It describes how to use themost frequently used books and web-based resources.
The workbook includes twenty Tutorials that aim to teach you about common enquiry themesthat you will encounter during your work in MI. They cover a variety of topics, some that youmay have come across working in other areas (e.g. drug interactions, adverse drug reactions)and some that are more specific to MI (e.g. travel medicine, breast-feeding).
As mentioned above, it is recommended that you complete at least two enquiries from yourbase hospital with each Tutorial. For example if you are reading the Drugs in PregnancyTutorial, ask your tutor to refer the next two real enquiries about prescribing in pregnancy toyou, as appropriate.
Each Tutorial has a similar structure:
1. Background
At the beginning of each Tutorial the general principles of a particular topic aresummarised, including all of the key points you need to know.
2. Questions to Ask an Enquirer, Example Sources, Further Reading
The common questions you need to ask an enquirer are listed, followed by examplesources you can use to find the answer. Suggested references for further reading areincluded to increase your understanding of a topic.
3. Test Yourself!
As the title suggests the ‘Test Yourself’ questions are for you to check yourunderstanding of the Tutorial after you have finished reading the above sections. Ifyou think that you already know a subject well, you may want to do this section firstas a pre-Tutorial test. The answers are included at the back of the workbook. It’s upto you to decide whether you want to ‘cheat’ by just copying the answers - hopefullyyou won’t. Remember this is an adult learning tool, not a school test: there is no passand fail. Use this section to highlight any problem areas and talk them through withyour MI tutor.
4. MiCAL
Look out for the links to MiCAL throughout the Tutorials. If you have access toMiCAL, attempt the relevant example enquiries.
5. Example Enquiry
Most of the Tutorials have an example enquiry, read through this and think aboutwhere you would have looked for the answers and how you may have answered theenquiry differently. Some of these may have a humorous content.
6. Real Enquiries
Finally the ‘Real Enquiries’ section describes several real scenarios and asks you tothink about the questions you need to ask the enquirer and the resources you woulduse to answer the question. If you want to, you can research a full answer using yourlocal enquiry form to document it and then discuss the answer with your MI tutor.However, many of these enquiries may not contain enough information inthemselves for you to do this. The MiCAL training package or queries alreadycompleted by your local MI centre are a better guide to seeing the detail of howenquiries are answered in practice.
The aim of this workbook is to support your training in Medicines Information, teaching youabout the information sources used and how to answer enquiries. For pre-registrationpharmacists it will help you to meet the relevant performance standards required by theRPSGB. For junior rotational pharmacists, it will help you work towards the relevantcompetency statements identified from the UKMi Competency Framework.
This workbook will also act as a portable record of evidence of your experience in MI, enablingyou to move between MI centres more easily.
Objectives of the Workbook
Upon completion of this workbook you should be able to:
� Describe the Medicines Information network in the UK.
� Receive Medicines Information enquiries and obtain all of the relevant backgroundinformation from the enquirer.
� Obtain information from sources within your MI centre and from external sources (e.g.pharmaceutical industry, specialist MI centres).
� Evaluate information in order to answer enquires and communicate the answer clearly tothe enquirer.
� Appreciate the legal and ethical issues relating to MI.
� Demonstrate an understanding of the quality assurance measures in MedicinesInformation.
Please Note
All the exercises within each Tutorial are optional. You do not need to work through everysingle exercise in all twenty Tutorials. Use them to supplement your ‘hands on’ experience.