The drug and drug interactions databases in UpToDate® add another level of knowledge to clinical practice and help improve the quality and safety of care. In this section, learn how to search and navigate drug referential content, how to use the drug interactions tool, and how to utilize a hospital formulary integrated into UpToDate.
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UpToDate topics deliver real-world evidence-based insights and recommendations to support you when making appropriate drug decisions for your patients. With our drug monographs — each containing details for adult, pediatric, and geriatric populations — you are equipped to make confident decisions for each unique patient. The same editorial team develops the drug topics in UpToDate and the more extensive drug information found in UpToDate® Lexidrug™. This means the content you see when treating the patient tightly aligns with what is used by nurses, pharmacists, and other care team members who use Lexidrug. This synergy alleviates unnecessary back and forth communication when discrepancies arise between disconnected resources. And it helps patients, because they receive clear, consistent instructions and guidance throughout their journey.
UpToDate provides access to foundational content from the leading drug information resource, Lexidrug, including information on drug dosing, interactions, adverse effects, and other drug-related content.
Searching a drug name will return drug information topics and other UpToDate topics containing information related to that drug.
Drug information topics are structured similarly to clinical topics, with a topic outline displayed at the left side of the page. Click on a heading in the topic outline to go directly to a desired section of the topic. Click on a linked reference number (either within the body of the topic or in the References section at the bottom of the topic) to display the Medline abstract for that reference.
Drug Information can also be accessed within the “Contents” dropdown in the blue toolbar on the top left of the screen.
View a detailed list of drug information topics within the linked sections.
The drug interactions program provides more in-depth analysis of drug-drug, herb-drug and herb-herb interactions. The drug interactions database in UpToDate adds another level of knowledge to clinical practice and helps improve the quality and safety of care. The Drug Interactions tool can be found in the top blue clinical toolbar.
To help minimize risk and increase patient safety, UpToDate includes a drug interactions analysis tool. Click Drug Interactions in the blue tool bar at the top of the screen to begin.
Type in the herb or drug. Once the list is complete, click Analyze to view the drug interactions analysis.
Next to each interaction is the risk rating. They're lettered A: no known interaction, through X: avoid the combination altogether. The table of contents containing the definitions of each rating can be found at the top of the screen, along with the option to filter results or print.
The Interaction Monograph provides information on the risk rating and the summary of the interaction and patient management information.
Formulink* integrated into UpToDate brings the hospital formulary front and center in the workflow to help simplify and improve the drug-ordering process. Learn how to easily access your hospital's formulary within UpToDate.
*Formulink integrated in UpToDate is available at subscribing organizations
Please note: Formulink is only available for organizations that license Formulink.
Once integrated, formulary information is available in UpToDate clinical topics as well as drug information topics. Within UpToDate clinical topics, click the formulary icon in the top right navigation to see an organization's formulary for drugs related to the selected topic.
Hover over any drug name within a clinical topic to quickly see if it's included in the organization's formulary.
Click on the drug name to go to a drug topic. Once in the drug information topic, see formulary names in the drug topic outline on the left side of the screen. Click on the name of the formulary or formularies in the center of the screen to expand and view more detailed information, such as formulary restrictions, dosage forms, and shortage management.
If your hospital hasn't yet integrated your formulary, speak to your customer success manager or account manager for how to do so.
*Institutional license required
