Drug information reference, 5th ed.

Barbara J. Cadario, Anne M. Leathem, editors

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Vancouver: BC Drug and Poison Information Centre; 2003. 1445 pp; $65 (paper) ISBN 0-9699644-2-0

Rating: ***

Audience: Health professionals

Content: Cadario and Leathem have developed a practical guide to frequently used prescription and nonprescription medications available in Canada, as well as to some herbal preparations. Many drug information handbooks tend to be overly inclusive in describing drug characteristics, adverse effects and interactions, making comparisons between individual agents within a therapeutic class difficult. Like most drug references, this text is organized as a collection of evidence-based monographs of individual drugs, but this approach is balanced with a “user-friendly” series of general monographs comparing agents within a therapeutic class.

Strengths: The clarity of presentation and the scope of practical information are excellent. Entries are organized alphabetically by generic drug name and are described in a concise and consistent format. The drug information needs of the spectrum of health professionals are anticipated in each monograph. For each agent, tables list potential drug interactions and the nature, mechanism and relevance of these interactions. Monographs also include sections on use in special populations, nursing implications for patient monitoring and patient instructions. A great deal of repetition is eliminated by the editors' organization of the monographs by generic rather than proprietary name. The index adequately cross-references Canadian (but not US) proprietary and generic names with the drug monographs.

Limitations: Although the general monographs comparing agents within a therapeutic class are a unique and valuable aspect of this text, the scope of each class appears arbitrary. For example, the general monograph for antipsychotics overviews both the older typical and the newer atypical agents, whereas for antidepressant agents the class comparison is limited to SSRIs only. This is not an exhaustive index of all drugs available in Canada; while most new agents are represented, many older drugs are absent. The text is a valuable supplement to, but not a replacement for, the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties.

Jim Owen Pharmacologist Department of Psychiatry Queen's University Kingston, Ont.

For information on how to obtain a copy of this book, please contact the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre at dpicvcn.bc.ca