Epocrates OnlineThis freely available portal aims to provide peer-reviewed, clinical drug and disease information at the point of care to physicians and other clinical providers. Drug information appears to be provided by Cerner Multum. Categories include manufacturer package labeling, FDA announcements, analysis of primary medical literature, review articles, guidelines, drug links to suppliers, and textbooks. Since some of this material may be funded by “an external entity,” possible bias cannot be ruled out. A free site registration is required to view content. The site provides disease information, pill identification, a drug interactions checker, alerts, medical calculators, and tables comparing everything from medications within a class to an outline of medical conditions.A paid upgrade includes a broader scope of information from entities like the British Medical Group, including dosage calculators and printable patient handouts.
Clinical information on this site is not complete or in-depth, e.g., in areas like mechanism of action; those seeking primary sources for clinical studies may be better served by PubMed or subscription databases like Clinical Pharmacology.
Drug information for obscure and current medications may be incomplete as well; for example, those searching for contrast dye information will find more comprehensive information in Micromedex. Recommended for health care students, faculty, and professionals who seek fast, current, point-of-care access to information on prescribed and over-the-counter drugs, alternative medicine, and disease state management, including issues related to insurance and drug pricing information.