Reference Tips for Librarians Helping Health Science Students

Most student in ACC Health Science programs will have taken HPRS 2300 Pharmacology for Health Professions course before beginning their programs, but they often need to revisit this topic or find information specific to their future careers.

When students are looking up drug information, they generally need to know the standard information that's provided in most drug guides:

• Class of drug (analgesic, antifungal, corticosteroids, etc.)
• Mechanism of action (what does this drug do to a body system)
• Administration (oral, injection, etc.)
• Dosage (particular for different ages)
• Contraindications (situations in which this drug should NOT be used)

In a reference interview, you'll often find that the student knows the brand name and not the generic name -- or perhaps the other way around. You should be able to find it either way, but knowing whether you're using the brand or generic name can help with further research.

There are many online drug information sources available. The following are some good options:

We have access to many portable-sized drug guides in the collection. Many departments require students to use these. The most popular are Davis's and Pearson's -- easily found in the catalog in both print and online versions.