Analysis and control of costs associated with answering drug information requests.

A strategy is proposed for estimating the average cost of answering drug information requests, comparing the factors that influence cost and controlling that cost. The cost for answering a request is based on the time it takes to answer the request, the salary of the person who answers the request, the cost of the information sources used to find the answer, and, indirectly, the frequency of requests of the same type. Request types have been defined by scope of search and formal of answer required, as textbook search/verbal answer, literature search/verbal answer, and literature search/written answer request. An empirical formula was used to calculate average costs for each request type at the Oregon Poison Control and Drug Information Center. A simple computer program was then used to generate costs over a range of changes that could be considered reasonable for each factor. The effect of modifying any of the factors in this formula demonstrated that a low volume of requests brings about the most critical change. Cost changes abruptly and may become unjustifiably high. If, for example, the volume of requests requiring literature search and verbal answer is 30 per month, the average cost for a request is $29.13; at a volume of 10 per month, the cost is $35.93; and at a volume of one per month the cost is $127.65. It is suggested that hospital pharmacy departments experiencing small frequencies of certain types of request analyze the cost in this manner and, if necessary, adopt a method for controlling the cost.