The CIU Drug Information Center is the recipient of great interest

The Drug Information Center (CIU/DIC) located within the Cyprus International University (CIU) and provides a free service in both the English and Turkish languages, has been the recipient of great interest from the TRNC public, within its first months of establishment.

The CIU Drug Information Center Coordinator, Assist. Prof. Dr. Pharm. Ahmet Sami Boşnak stated that they have completed their first month of providing a service with an expert team of individuals and a 24/7 Tele-Health approach. Boşnak went on to state, “We are so pleased that the TRNC public has placed great interest in receiving a service from professional advisors in relation to drugs, and that we have been able to meet this need”.

Drawing attention to the benefits of the services being offered online, Boşnak advised, “The fact that while posing their question the individual doesn’t have to share their name, and the fact that as well as the Turkish language, we can receive and answer questions in the English language also, has meant that we are able to reach all sections of society”.

Assist. Prof. Dr. Boşnak additionally drew attention to the fact that a large number of the questions received were from abroad, and elaborated, “For example, we are receiving questions from Africa and Europe. As a team, we are so proud that we have contributed to the international promotion of our country, our center, and our university”.

Adding that during the 30 days following the establishment of the center, they have been working on a survey in relation to the services provided, Boşnak went on to state, “According to the results of the survey, 84.6% of the questions posed to the center were made in the English language. With this result we have understood that in particular the foreign community residing in the TRNC and the foreign students studying here have a great need for health advice in the English language”.

Providing information in relation to the types of questions asked, Assist. Prof. Dr. Boşnak continued, “When we look at the contents of the questions asked, we see that we have been asked about how to use drugs that have been prescribed, the interaction between drug-drug and drug-nutrition, and the availability of drugs”.

Boşnak informed that 46.2% of the questions were received by patients, 23.1% by pharmacists, 15.4% by doctors, with the remaining being posed by nurses and health professionals, and stated that on average, all questions were responded to within 12 hours of them being asked.

Expressing that as the CIU Drug Information Center they try to improve the quality of their drug advice service with each passing day, Assist. Prof. Dr. Boşnak highlighted that should anyone have any questions in relation to drugs, that they can reach them free of charge via the web address https://ciu.edu.tr/drug-information-center.