Introduction: The development of pharmaceutical industry has been adding new knowledge about drugs continuously making it difficult to remember each piece of information. The physicians need to be supplemented with new information using various unbiased and reliable drug information (DI) sources which will promote rationale use of medicines. This study aims to understand the commonly used sources of DI by prescribers at our institute, their usefulness and the need for an independent drug information unit at the institute. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study that included all prescribers presently working at this institute and actively involved in patient care was conducted. Consenting participants were requested to fill in the self-administered questionnaire. Data thus collected were entered using EpiData version 3.1 and were analysed using SPSS version 18. Results: Filled-in questionnaires were obtained from 147 prescribers. Almost all of the participants (95.80%) used textbooks and Online Medical Sites (OMS) as sources of DI. Among participants using OMS for DI, 80 (58.39%) classified them as sometimes biased. Less than half (41.25%) agreed that they will absolutely be benefitted from having unbiased DI services at the hospital. The participants most commonly (136, 92.50%) had queries related to dosage / administration on a daily basis. Conclusions: Most prescribers relied on textbooks and OMS for DI which in their opinion had some level of biasness associated with them. They also agreed on the need of independent DI services in the institution to support prescription practices.

Background: Chronic kidney disease affects the structure and function of the kidneys over a specific period of time. It is a worldwide public health related problem. It is usually associated with increasing age, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and lack of exercise. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional observational study conducted at Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital. A total 150 patients were enrolled in this study from March 2021 to February 2022. Patients aged 18 years and above diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and treated with dialysis were included in this study. Statistical tools were used to describe the relevant data. Results: Chronic kidney disease was more predominant among males 90 (60%) than females 60 (40%). Thecommon co-morbid conditions were hypertension 51(34%) followed by hypertension & diabetes 40 (26.66%). 115 (76.66%) patients were receivinghemodialysis twice followed by 26 (17.33%) who were receiving it thrice a week. An average of 7.03 drugs per prescription was advised. Commonly used drugs were hydrocortisone 145 (96.66%), torsemide 90 (85.71%), and vitamin D3 105 (75%). Among the complications, the most commonly occurred were chills & rigor 15 (10%) followed by backache 12 (8%). Conclusion: Hydrocortisone, torsemide and Vit.D3, were prescribed medications in CKD patients maintained on hemodialysis. Hydrocortisone was commonly used at this tertiary care hospital. Chills & rigor and backache were complication occurred during hemodialysis.