Websites and Databases for Pharmacy Training
The following resources support evidence-based decision-making, safe medication use, patient counselling and professional development during community and hospital pharmacy training.
Students should begin with approved Jordanian sources and institutional databases. Information from international references must be interpreted according to local product availability, approved indications, faculty guidance and Jordanian regulations.
1. Jordanian Regulatory and Medicines Information
Jordan Food and Drug Administration — JFDA
Access: Free
Use the Jordan Food and Drug Administration to:
Search registered medicines and approved patient information leaflets.
Review medicine prices in Jordan.
Access drug-safety announcements and recalls.
Review antibiotic classifications and regulatory information.
Access pharmacovigilance and adverse-drug-reaction reporting services.
Check information concerning unavailable medicines.
JFDA should be prioritised when verifying a medicine’s registration, approved information, availability or regulatory status in Jordan.
2. General Drug-Information Databases
UpToDate Lexidrug — formerly Lexicomp
Access: Institutional subscription
UpToDate Lexidrug provides professional information on:
Indications and dosing.
Renal and hepatic dose adjustment.
Contraindications and precautions.
Adverse effects.
Drug interactions.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Patient counselling.
Toxicology and medication safety.
IBM Micromedex
Access: Institutional subscription, where available
Use Micromedex for drug monographs, dosing, interactions, toxicology, adverse effects, compatibility and evidence-based medication information.
Students should access it through the university library or an authorised institutional portal when available.
MedicinesComplete
Access: Institutional subscription
MedicinesComplete may provide access to recognised references such as:
British National Formulary — BNF.
BNF for Children — BNFC.
Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference.
Stockley’s Drug Interactions.
Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation.
Palliative Care Formulary.
Herbal Medicines and Dietary Supplements.
Availability depends on the university’s active subscriptions.
UpToDate
Access: Institutional or individual subscription
UpToDate supports evidence-based clinical decision-making and provides topic reviews, treatment recommendations, calculators and patient-education resources.
It should complement—not replace—medicine-specific references and local guidelines.
ClinicalKey
Access: Institutional subscription
ClinicalKey provides access to clinical books, journals, drug monographs, guidelines and multimedia educational resources, depending on the institutional subscription.
3. Free Authoritative Drug Resources
DailyMed
Access: Free
DailyMed is provided by the US National Library of Medicine and contains current medicine labelling submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration.
It is useful for reviewing:
Indications.
Dosage and administration.
Contraindications.
Warnings and precautions.
Adverse reactions.
Drug interactions.
Use in specific populations.
Medication guides and instructions for use.
Because labels reflect the US regulatory context, students should verify Jordanian registration and locally approved information through JFDA.
Drugs@FDA and FDA Drug Safety
Access: Free
Use the FDA Drugs portal for:
Approved prescribing information.
Drug approval history.
Safety communications.
Recalls and shortages.
Regulatory warnings.
MedlinePlus
Access: Free
MedlinePlus provides understandable information for patients on medicines, medical conditions, tests, herbs and supplements.
It is especially useful when preparing patient-education and counselling materials. It should not replace a professional drug-information reference.
4. Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Special Populations
LactMed
Access: Free
LactMed is a peer-reviewed database covering:
Medicine concentrations in breast milk.
Potential effects on breastfed infants.
Effects on lactation.
Suggested therapeutic alternatives.
References supporting the recommendations.
NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service
Access: Free
The Specialist Pharmacy Service provides professional guidance on:
Medicines in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Renal and hepatic impairment.
Drug interactions.
Administration through enteral tubes.
Swallowing difficulties.
Storage and temperature management.
Primary-care medicines optimisation.
Recommendations must be interpreted within the local clinical and regulatory context.
5. Drug-Interaction Resources
Stockley’s Drug Interactions
Access: Subscription through MedicinesComplete
Stockley’s Drug Interactions provides evaluated, clinically relevant evidence on drug–drug, drug–food, drug–herb and other interactions, including their mechanisms, clinical importance and management.
University of Liverpool Interaction Checkers
Access: Free
The University of Liverpool interaction resources provide specialist interaction checkers for:
HIV medicines.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Hepatitis medicines.
Selected antiviral therapies.
These specialised tools should be used alongside a comprehensive interaction database and patient-specific clinical assessment.
6. Clinical Guidelines and Professional Standards
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence — NICE
Access: Free
NICE provides evidence-based clinical guidelines, prescribing guidance, quality standards and decision-support resources.
Students should confirm that recommendations are applicable to Jordan and consistent with faculty or national guidance.
World Health Organization — WHO
Access: Free
Use the World Health Organization for:
Essential medicines.
Medication safety.
Antimicrobial resistance.
Public-health guidance.
Patient-safety resources.
Good pharmacy-practice standards developed with FIP.
International Pharmaceutical Federation — FIP
Access: Mostly free
The International Pharmaceutical Federation provides guidance, reports and educational resources relating to:
Good pharmacy practice.
Patient safety.
Medicines optimisation.
Self-care.
Pharmacy education.
Professional development.
Community and hospital pharmacy practice.
Disease-Specific Guidelines
Students may consult current guidance from recognised professional organisations, including:
Always check the publication year and whether an updated version is available.
7. Literature Searching and Evidence Appraisal
PubMed
Access: Free
PubMed provides access to citations and abstracts from biomedical and health-sciences literature.
Students should use it to locate:
Clinical trials.
Systematic reviews.
Pharmacy-practice research.
Medication-safety evidence.
Current therapeutic literature.
Cochrane Library
Access: Some content is free; full access may require subscription
The Cochrane Library provides systematic reviews and evidence syntheses evaluating healthcare interventions.
Google Scholar
Access: Free
Google Scholar can support broad literature searching, but students must assess the reliability, publication type and peer-review status of retrieved materials.
It should not be used as the only search source for clinical decisions.
8. Patient-Safety and Pharmacovigilance Resources
Students should use:
JFDA for Jordanian pharmacovigilance, safety communications and reporting.
FDA Drug Safety Communications for international safety alerts.
WHO Medication Without Harm for medication-safety principles.
Institute for Safe Medication Practices — ISMP for medication-error prevention and high-alert medicine resources.
How to Use These Resources
When answering a medicine-related question:
Define the patient-specific clinical question.
Check JFDA and approved local information.
Consult a professional drug-information database.
Review current clinical guidelines.
Search primary studies or systematic reviews when necessary.
Compare information across more than one authoritative source.
Consider age, pregnancy, kidney and liver function, comorbidities, allergies and concurrent medicines.
Discuss clinical decisions with the supervising pharmacist or faculty member.
Document the source and date of access.
Important Notice
These resources are provided for education and supervised training. They do not replace professional judgement, approved Jordanian regulations, local policies, direct patient assessment or guidance from the supervising pharmacist.
Students must not make independent changes to a patient’s treatment without appropriate professional supervision and authorisation.