DRUGDOCS® provides health professionals with current, evidence-based information on the drugs they prescribe. This information has been collected using an independent, comprehensive and non-biased literature search strategy. Documents included in the DRUGDOCS® database are in no way influenced by third party sponsorship.
Literature Search Strategy
Currently, only drugs approved by the FDA in the past 10 years are included in the DRUGDOCS® database. We are working to have all brand name drugs available in the near future.
Drugs on the DRUDOCS® database were updated every 4 to 6 months using the following search strategy.
For each drug, a literature search was conducted on a number of electronic bibliographic databases (e.g., DARE, HTA, MEDLINE) for English-language health technology assessments, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. When no health technology assessment, systematic review or meta-analysis was identified, we searched MEDLINE for English-language randomized controlled trials. The National Guideline Clearinghouse™ and MEDLINE were searched for English-language evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA:
A Health Technology Assessment was included if it:
- Included the drug of interest
- Evaluated the drug for an FDA approved indication
- Was published within the past 5 years, or within the past 10 years if a Health Technology Assessment, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, or RCT published within the past 5 years could not be identified
A Systematic Review or Meta-Analysis was included if it:
- Included the drug of interest
- Evaluated the drug for an FDA approved indication
- Was published within the past 5 years, or within the past 10 years if a Health Technology Assessment, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, or RCT published within the past 5 years could not be identified
A Randomised Controlled Trial was included if it:
- Included the drug of interest
- Evaluated the drug for an FDA approved indication
- A Health Technology Assessment, Systematic Review, or Meta-Analysis published within the past 5 years could not be identified
- Was published within the past 5 years, or within the past 10 years if a Health Technology Assessment, Systematic Review, or Meta-Analysis published within the past 10 years could not be identified
A Clinical Practice Guideline was included if it:
- Included the drug of interest
- Evaluated the drug for an FDA approved indication
- Was published within the past 5 years, or within the past 10 years if a Clinical Practice Guideline published within the past 5 years could not be identified
- It consisted of evidence-based recommendations, based primarily on the highest level of clinical study evidence available