Systematic Analysis of Drug Information Query Patterns and Pharmacist Response Quality at University Teaching Hospitals in South West Nigeria

Drug information centers in teaching hospitals serve as critical resources for healthcare professionals seeking evidence-based medication guidance. Systematic analysis of query patterns and response quality can inform training priorities and resource allocation. This study analyzed drug information query patterns and assessed the quality of pharmacist responses at drug information centers in university teaching hospitals in South West Nigeria, covering Lagos, Oyo, and Osun States. A retrospective analysis of drug information query records over 24 months was conducted, extracting data on query type, requester cadre, drug classes involved, references consulted, response time, and completeness. A random sample of 200 query responses was independently evaluated for quality using the Iowa Drug Information Service Evaluation Form. A total of 1,840 queries were analyzed. Drug interaction queries were most common at 32 percent, followed by dosage and administration at 24 percent and adverse drug reaction management at 19 percent. Physicians submitted the highest proportion of queries at 47 percent, with nurses and pharmacists following. Mean response time was 34 minutes for in-person queries and 6.2 hours for written responses. Quality assessment revealed adequate responses in 71 percent, with deficiencies most commonly observed in evidence grading and recommendation clarity. Responses citing primary literature sources were significantly higher in quality than those relying solely on textbooks or drug compendia. Training pharmacists in systematic literature retrieval and evidence synthesis is the key recommendation from this study. Keywords: drug information, query analysis, response quality, teaching hospitals, South West Nigeria