Abstract
Monitoring of the literature on adverse reactions over a period of many years is undertaken by the drug information (DI) service as one aspect of drug monitoring, and the formation of a database for more effective utilization of the collected and evaluated information was attempted. The set items include the title of the literature reference, the source, abstract, generic and brand name of drugs and the names of their manufacturers, therapeutic category and adverse reaction symptoms. These items can be retrieved individually or in various combinations.
Therefore, when retrieval was done by therapeutic category, drug and adverse reaction symptoms were undertaken for 661 items of information in the adverse reaction literature added to the database in 1989. The system was evaluated, making retrieval of adverse reaction symptoms, which was difficult using conventional procedures, possible instantaneously. This result confirmed that the applicability of system was satisfactory. In a comparison of the information in the database with the contents of package inserts and foreign compendia and a study of evaluations of the information, it was possible to rapidity collect information on severe or new adverse reactions not found in package inserts, etc., and some of these showed a rather strong causal relation with the drug concerned. Therefore, this database appeared to be useful source of information.
