Professional Competency #2: Provide Drug Information - NAPRA

Professional Competency #2: 

Provide Drug Information 

Optional Advanced Role: Possible Performance Indicators Examples of activities that might prove fulfilment of 

Possible Performance Indicators 

Competency Unit 

Pharmacists assume responsibility for information retrieval, 

evaluation and dissemination to ensure safe and effective provision of 

pharmaceutical care and to promote health. 

Situations in Which All Registered Pharmacists Must Fulfil this 

Competency 5 : 

In response to requests from individual patients or individual health 

care professionals, pharmacists provide: 

• information about all drugs, including herbal therapies; 

•recommendations concerning commonly used drugs in the 

management of common diseases, and; 

5. This competency differs from the provision of information to individual patients as part of patient counselling during the provision of pharmaceutical care (Competency #1). It also differes from 

Competency #3 which relates to the education of students or groups regarding drugs, drug use and health promotion. 

6. Although pharmacists are encouraged to use primary literature, they must, at a minimum, use appropriate secondary and tertiary literature. 

• information about commonly recommended, evidence-based 

disease prevention and health promotion strategies. 

Pharmacists use appropriate, readily accessible secondary and tertiary 6 

medical and pharmaceutical resources, Internet-based information 

and / or consultation with other pharmacists or health care 

professionals when fulfilling this competency. Pharmacists fulfil this 

competency in all sites where they provide the products and services 

that legally constitute pharmacy practice, or where they are identified 

as pharmacists when providing such information or 

recommendations. 

Competency Element Required Performance Indicators Examples of activities that might prove fulfilment of 

Required Performance Indicators 

2.1 A pharmacist must 

identify sources of relevant 

information. 

Accurately determine the depth of information 

required to answer a question. 

Accurately identify whether tertiary, secondary or 

primary literature is necessary to appropriately 

respond to the request for information or 


The pharmacist accurately differentiates between a 

physician’s request for a standard dose of an antibiotic and 

a physician’s request for recent changes in the treatment of 

choice for otitis media; differentiates between a patient’s 

and a physician’s question as to how Zyban® works in the 

treatment of smoking cessation. 

The pharmacist differentiates between a patient’s request for 

information on new antibiotics for treating urinary tract 

infections and a physician’s request for information on 

investigational antibiotics for managing chronic urinary tract 

infections. 

Model Standards of Practice for Canadian Pharmacists 15



2.1 (Continued) Accurately identify and name the tertiary and 

secondary resources available to appropriately 

respond to the request for information or 


2.2 A pharmacist 

must retrieve 

information from 

relevant sources. 

Accurately manage requests for information or 

recommendations that are beyond their capabilities. 

Optional Performance Indicators reflecting 

advanced or exemplary practice: 

Accurately and efficiently locate relevant 

primary literature or resources based on 

extensive knowledge base and experience in a 

specialized field of pharmacy practice 

Consistently recognize and respond appropriately to 

the time frame requirements for a question or 

request for recommendation. 

Systematically access reliable information in a 

timely and accurate manner. 

Regularly use professional judgement to determine 

when sufficient, appropriate information has been 

obtained 



Routinely and efficiently retrieve the information 

necessary to provide recommendations about 

all drugs, including herbal and complementary 

medicines. 

Obtain the required information in an efficient 

manner. 

Maintain an up-to-date and complete collection 

of primary literature relevant to his/her practice. 

16 Model Standards of Practice for Canadian Pharmacists 

The pharmacist assesses whether the Compendium of 

Pharmaceutical Specialties, American Hospital Formulary 

Service Drug Information or Therapeutic Choices provides 

appropriate information; determines if reference must be 

made to provincial antibiotic guidelines; identifies if 

information should be accessed from drug information or 

government web sites. 

The pharmacist identifies other pharmacists or health care 

professionals available to provide required information; 

consults with the appropriate experts or refers the requestor 

to the appropriate source of information. 

Examples of activities that might prove fulfilment of 

Optional Performance Indicator: 

The pharmacist refers to specific studies that address 

the request; maintains a network of contacts in 

specialized fields of practice 

The pharmacist responds rapidly to physician’s request for 

information required to prescribe for a patient in his/her 

office; considers workload and time available before 

promising a time frame for a response for more complicated 

information. 

The pharmacist obtains the appropriate information from 

tertiary resources, the Internet, pharmacists or other health 

care professionals. 

The pharmacist does not rely on a single, general text when 

newer references or DI bulletins are available; acknowledges 

when sufficient reliable information is not available to 

respond accurately to the request. 



The pharmacist has an extensive knowledge of sources 

and types of drug information and selects the 

appropriate source; employs a structured systematic 

approach for responding to requests; utilizes a 

structured systematic approach for documenting 

questions and responses and makes use of such a 

system to facilitate responses to similar questions; 

completes primary literature searches appropriately and 

efficiently. 

— Continued




evaluate scientific 

information. 


organize and disseminate 

information. 


provide information on 

disease prevention and 

health promotion. 

Critically review information to ensure its 

appropriateness prior to responding to a request. 

Consistently present relevant, accurate information 

in a usable form and in a timely manner. 

The pharmacist provides an assessment of the relevance, 

applicability and accuracy of an article located by a patient; 

provides only relevant, accurate information to patients. 

Place information in perspective to current practice. The pharmacist explains why therapy cannot be based on 

suggestions made in popular magazines or un-referenced 

resources; explains why a single, well done study may not be 

applicable to a particular patient’s case. 



Critically analyze primary or basic science 

literature as it applies to the provision of drug 

information and recommendations. 



Proactively identify and fulfil drug information 

needs of individuals and groups. 

Provide recommendations about all legal drugs, 

including herbal and complementary medicines. 

Support health promotion campaigns related to 

recognition and management of common, critical 

diseases such as diabetes, cardiac disease, stroke, 

hypertension and breast cancer. 

Provide accurate information to patients inquiring 

about poison prevention. 



Provide recommendations on disease 

prevention and health promotion 



The pharmacist assesses the adequacy of research 

design, relevance, applicability, accuracy, reliability, 

validity and generalizability of primary literature. 

The pharmacist within several days provides a verbal 

summary and copies of information located to a physician 

asking for information about the use of a new antibiotic for 

community acquired pneumonia; provides an immediate 

verbal recommendation to a mother asking about the use of 

aspirin for fever in her infant. 



The pharmacist prepares and distributes DI newsletters 

to patients or other health care providers. 

The pharmacist uses his/her drug information skills to 

participate in the development of formularies or drug use 

policies. 

The pharmacist makes available appropriate pamphlets or 

other prepared information regarding these conditions; when 

requested, provides verbal summaries of information 

contained in such pamphlets or other prepared information. 

The pharmacist explains appropriate safe storage of 

household products, medications, non-prescription drugs 

and vitamins around children. 

— Continued 

Model Standards of Practice for Canadian Pharmacists 17

Optional Advanced Roles: Possible Performance Indicators Examples of activities that might prove fulfilment of 

Possible Performance Indicators 

Drug Policy 

Actively seek or assume leadership roles in policy 

making regarding appropriate drug use. 

Routinely use evidence-based principles to make 

recommendations for drug policy. 

Drug Information Use complex forms of analysis to discover issues 

requiring the provision of drug information or drug 

use recommendations. 

Actively promote their role in the provision of drug 

information and recommendations by identifying 

needs in populations (communities) beyond their 

individual practice site. 

Prepare and present routine sources of drug 

information. 

Undertake specialty employment in a drug 

information or related centre. 

Routinely assess the outcomes of drug information 

provided to individual clients. 

Health Promotion Routinely work with patients to plan and attain 

health goals related to health promotion. 

Regularly offer educational events that focus on 

disease prevention and general health promotion. 

18 Model Standards of Practice for Canadian Pharmacists 

The pharmacist volunteers for membership in policy-making 

committees; accepts responsibility for developing key 

recommendations regarding reimbursement. 

The pharmacist uses primary literature to assess the 

therapeutic and pharmacoeconomic benefits of one drug 

relative to another for inclusion in a formulary or coverage in 

a drug program. 

The pharmacist analyses drug use patterns within the 

practice setting (from various data sources including 

surveys, data bases); analyses documentation completed 

for management of individual patient’s drug related 

problems; completes surveys of clients to identify need for 

information or recommendations. 

The pharmacist creates linkages with other pharmacies to 

identify issues in drug use; completes surveys of clients to 

identify needs for information or recommendations. 

The pharmacist writes review articles, education articles or 

continuing education articles; prepares and distributes new 

drugs bulletins or newsletters; offers drug information 

columns in newspaper or advice shows on TV, radio, or 

Internet. 

The pharmacist discusses the value of good nutrition and 

exercise for an overweight patient and refers him/her to a 

dietician if appropriate; addresses the requirement for 

bicycle helmets for children.

Professional Competency #2: Provide Drug Information - NAPRA

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