The Drug Information (DI) Center provides accurate and clinically relevant drug information to improve the quality of life of patients, and assists physicians and other health care professionals by actively promoting the safe, effective, and evidence-based use of medications. The Center also provides didactic and experiential learning as part of the School of Pharmacy curriculum.

The DI Center, as an integral part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Drug Use and Disease State Management Program, guides the patient safety and the formulary decision process throughout the UPMC Health System to ensure evidence-based, cost-effective medication management.  The DI Center oversees activities of the UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Health System Pharmacy and Therapeutics committees and their subcommittees, including the Adverse Drug-Related Event (ADE) and Formulary Subcommittees, and the UPMC Presbyterian ADE Reporting Program.

Services Provided

The Drug Information Center provides evidence-based responses to drug information questions via phone, email, and fax.  The Center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Research

Faculty and residents in the DI Center contribute to research in the areas of evidence-based medicine, off-label medication use, and therapeutic advances in patient safety and practice guideline development.

Student/Resident Participation

Pharmacists at the DI Center precept 8-12 P3 and P4 students per year on experiential rotations.  Drug Information is a required rotation for UPMC-based pharmacy practice residents and is an elective rotation for specialty residents.

Links

UPMC formulary documents can be found here, accessible from any PITT or UPMC computer.