Download the Prescribing for Better Outcomes Education Module

Keeping up with the latest drug research is a challenge. As medical professionals, we receive volumes of information about new treatments and new uses for pharmaceuticals already on the market. Having to distinguish information based on unbiased science from pharmaceutical industry marketing has become exceedingly difficult for practitioners.

That’s why Prescribing for Better Outcomes (PBO), a UNC-CH based program that provides physicians with a credible source of evidence-based information on medications and other interventions without pharmaceutical industry influence, has uploaded this education module. The PBO education module was created to educate students and residents about sifting through information to get the scientific facts about prescription drugs and cutting through the clutter related to the use of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The module covers a variety of topics relevant to the everyday challenges faced by medical professionals, including:

• understanding study design and the hierarchy of evidence,
• distinguishing between varying levels of promotional intent, and
• applying the evidence on AEDs for treating bipolar disorder.

This program was developed independent of any industry funding by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with support from a consortium of state attorneys general, which placed no restrictions on the content of the publications.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Prescribing for Better Outcomes, please contact me via e-mail at melvin@schsr.unc.edu.

Cathy L. Melvin, PhD, MPH
Principal Investigator
Timothy S. Cary, MD, MPH
Co-Principal Investigator

To download the education module, click here.