MONTVALE, N.J., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- This May, more than 100,000 third- and fourth-year medical students and residents across the country will receive an important package from Thomson PDR(TM), a part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX). PDR is helping new physicians nationwide improve patient safety and prevent medical errors by arming them with samples of PDR’s full array of high-tech drug information tools, delivered in the formats demanded by today’s physicians.
This comes at a time of increased discussion about medical errors in the healthcare community. A recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report recommended that all healthcare organizations provide physicians immediate access to decision support tools(i) to reduce the estimated 7,000 deaths per year caused by medication errors(ii).
“PDR is the most trusted source for prescribing information and has been the industry standard for nearly 60 years. Our goal is to continue to innovate and improve the ways in which we help new physicians provide quality medical care. That starts by making PDR tools available in portable, easy-to- use formats and making sure that every student has access to print, online and handheld options,” said Thomson PDR executive vice president David Duplay.
The mailing comes enclosed in a box fashioned after the conventional PDR, or “The Big Book,” with the tagline “Prescribe with Precision.” Upon opening, the students will find sample PDR products and information including:
* A link to download mobilePDR(R) -- A handheld drug database for Palm(R) OS and Pocket PC devices * Information about PDR.net(R) -- Quick and easy access to PDR online * PDR(R) Electronic Library -- A CD-ROM version of the PDR, PDR for Nonprescription Drugs and Dietary Supplements, PDR for Ophthalmic Medicines, and the PDR Drug Interactions and Side Effects System * PDR(R) Pharmacopoeia Pocket Dosing Guide -- A handy pocket guide in a clear, easy-to-read tabular format * PDR(R) Monthly Prescribing Guide(TM) -- All the latest drug information on the 2,000 most-prescribed drugs presented in digest format
Also launching this spring is a new campaign highlighting that PDR provides the accurate information needed to make fast and well-informed decisions. Featuring the new slogan, “Time to PDR it,” the campaign identifies with the urgency felt by physicians to react quickly and confidently with reliable prescribing information to prevent medication errors that cost an estimated $2 billion annually(iii). Ads will run in physician publications including The New Physician, Hospital Physician, Family Practice News, MD Net Guide and Advanstar Medical Economics.
For more information about PDR(R), please visit http://www.pdr-it.com/. About The Thomson Corporation
With 2003 revenues of $7.6 billion, The Thomson Corporation (http://www.thomson.com/) is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value- added information, software applications and tools to more than 20 million users in the fields of scientific research and healthcare, law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment. The Corporation’s common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX). Thomson healthcare information solutions can be found at http://www.thomson.com/healthcare, and include Thomson American Health Consultants, an innovator of medical education programs and the largest publisher of health care newsletters in the world; Gardiner Caldwell, one of the world’s largest medical communication agencies; Physicians World, a leader in advanced medical education programs for over 30 years; Micromedex, the foremost provider of trusted medical information, enabling clinicians to access answers and alerts to prevent adverse events and promote best clinical practices; and PDR, The Physician’s Desk Reference, the drug information standard for 57 years that annually reaches 500,000 practicing physicians across the United States.
(i) Patient Safety: Achieving a New Standard for Care, Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2004. (ii) To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, Institute of Medicine (IOM), 1999. (iii) Bates D.W., Spell N., Cullen D. J., et al. The costs of adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. JAMA. 1997.
The Thomson Corporation
CONTACT: Kristen McCarthy, VP Marketing and Communications, ThomsonScientific & Healthcare, +1-203-425-1361, kristen.mcCarthy@thomson.com; orKim Marich, Sr. Marketing Manager of Thomson PDR, +1-201-358-7136,kim.marich@thomson.com
Web site: http://www.pdr-it.com/
Web site: http://www.thomson.com/
