Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs—Clinically relevant drug information at your fingertips

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 60, No. 7, September 2018, Page 351 College Library
By: Paula Osachoff

The College Library offers the Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs (CHPD) in two online volumes—one pertaining to adults, and another for children and adolescents. The CHPD contains authoritative drug information based on the latest evidence, gathered from large clinical trials to case reports discussing rare adverse effects. The information is presented in concise reviews and color-coded tables for ease of use at the point of care. A range of clinicians from psychiatrists to family practitioners can benefit from the CHPD.

Each section in the handbook addresses a drug class (e.g., SSRIs), presenting information on drugs within that class at a glance; a variety of treatment options can be quickly scanned to select the best course of action for the patient. The volume devoted to children and adolescents addresses the dosage needs and unique effects that drugs have on that age group.

The CHPD is searchable for specific drugs, and both volumes contain off-label uses for each drug, interactions, nondrug treatments such as bright-light therapy, and printable patient information.

The CHPD is edited by a Canadian team of clinical pharmacists, pharmacologists, and physicians. Canadian-specific prescribing information in the CHPD is particularly valuable given that most psychopharmacology publications assume an American readership.

Both volumes of the Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs are available online on the College Library’s website, on the Point of Care and Drug Tools page: www.cpsbc.ca/library/search-materials/point-of-care-drug-tools (login required: current CPSID and password).

Contact the College Library if you require further assistance. Phone: 604 733-6671, email: medlib@cpsbc.ca, online request form: www.cpsbc.ca/library-requests.
—Paula Osachoff
Librarian

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This article is the opinion of the Library of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC and has not been peer reviewed by the BCMJ Editorial Board.

Paula Osachoff. Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs—Clinically relevant drug information at your fingertips. BCMJ, Vol. 60, No. 7, September, 2018, Page(s) 351 - College Library.


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