Featured New Resource: Lexidrug™ Now Available to UT Health San Antonio Hospital, Clinics, Campus
The UT Health San Antonio Clinical Enterprise and the Libraries have partnered to license UpToDate® Lexidrug™ (formerly Lexicomp®) for the entire institution, a collaboration that represents a significant investment in a full-text clinical drug information resource that supports providing high-quality care to patients and will enhance student learning.
This full-text digital drug-related resource supports pharmacists and other clinicians in prescribing and administering drugs throughout UT Health San Antonio’s growing clinical enterprise which includes the UT Multispecialty & Research Hospital, the Mays Cancer Center, UT Health Physicians, UT Dentistry Clinical Operations, UT School of Nursing, and clinical residents.
The UT Multispecialty & Research Hospital has integrated Lexidrug™ into the electronic medical record system, EPIC, so that it will be available in all the UT Health San Antonio clinical locations and hospital via the EMR system making it easy for clinicians to use in all clinical settings as well as via the mobile app. Integration into EPIC also links to the drug formulary used by UT Health San Antonio which facilitates prescribing and administering medications. Clinicians will find Lexidrug™ useful at the bedside, to help educate patients and for quick lookup of health-related topics during care.
On the campus side, this new digital resource is now available to the entire UT Health San Antonio community. UT Health affiliates can access the resource at: UpToDate® Lexidrug™ . Users will be prompted to log in with their UT Health San Antonio username and password. Once logged in, they will have full access to the resource.
For more information and instructions on how to download the mobile app visit the library guide which includes a video tutorial.
To schedule an instructional session or consultation to learn more about this resource, contact your liaison librarian.
What is Lexidrug™?
Lexidrug™ offers a collection of content sets and clinical tools that provides users with robust clinical drug information and is part of UptoDate, a suite of clinical resources provided by Wolters Kluwer and widely used in academic medical centers and hospitals. This comprehensive drug database provides detailed information on pharmacology, indications, contraindications, side effects, dosing, and more. It also includes drug interaction checkers, clinical calculators, case studies, clinical scenarios, and mechanism of action diagrams that illustrate how drugs work at the molecular level.
The platform is continually updated using the latest in evidence-based information on drugs. The platform also includes quality of life features like search and filter tools, customizable references. Lexidrug™ offers both mobile and offline modes for uninterrupted access which is vital for clinicians working in multiple locations.
Once logged in, the library user is presented with a search bar to look up specific drugs. Two other features are available on this main page:
- New FDA Drug Approvals – this features allows easy access to drugs recently approved by the FDA.
- Help & Training Resources – this section provide links to training videos and other resources AND also allows the user to launch the mobile application for either iPhone or Android devices. The mobile app must lasts for 90 days and can be renewed.
Once a drug is searched in the search bar, the database will present the drug monograph which includes the following information:
- Pronunciation
- Brand Names & Brand Names in the United States
- Pharmacologic Category
- Uses
- Warnings & Precautions
- Adverse Reactions
- Preparations
- Pearls & Related Information
- Index Terms
- FDA Approval Date
- Reference
In addition to this, Lexidrug™ offers Drug ID tools, calculators, and additional clinical tools and patient education materials.
Campus Access for Academic Purposes
In negotiating the license, the Libraries paid a portion of the license to provide access to students, faculty, and staff outside of the clinics and the hospital, explained Andrea Schorr, Associate Library Director for Resource Management.
For faculty, Lexidrug™ can be a valuable teaching aid, for integrating real-world drug information into lectures. The interactive features, such as drug interaction checkers and clinical calculators, can provide more practical learning experiences for students. Health sciences students will find a user-friendly interface, with tons of information at their fingertips.
“Full access to the resource for the academic side of campus allows faculty to integrate Lexidrug™ into their curricula. Faculty can introduce Lexidrug™ to students in class, develop assignments that help them prepare for clinical rotations and professional practice using the same types of resources available in clinical settings and private practice,” said Chris Gaspard, Associate Library Director for Library Liaison Services. This ensures our students have the ability to learn about this highly-rated clinical resource before they enter clinical rotations and practice in their fields, Gaspard explained.
Joseph Zorek, Executive Director of Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration (LINC) and Professor in the School of Nursing, said, “Campus-wide access to Lexidrug™ is important to support learning. I teach Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics to graduate students, who, as future nurse practitioners, will go on to prescribe and manage medications for a wide variety of patients.”
Beginning this semester, Zorek has integrated Lexidrug™ into his course assignments. “Each week, medication experts in specific areas lead discussions based on real-world case studies. Students are required to complete the cases prior to class, and access to Lexidrug™ has proven to be valuable. It’s important for students to learn how to use drug information resource like Lexidrug™ to their fullest extent during their education, as tools like these are the lifeblood of safe medication use in practice. I have found the institutional investment in Lexidrug™ to be an incredible value add as a faculty member.”
Contributed by Pat Hawthorne, Executive Director of Libraries