title: Information system technologies' role in augmenting dermatologists' knowledge of prescription medication costs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite the recent rising costs of once affordable dermatologic prescription medications, a survey measuring dermatologists' attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of the cost of drugs they commonly prescribe has not been conducted. Awareness of drug costs is hindered by a lack of access to data about the prices of medicines. No surveys of physicians have addressed this issue by proposing new information system technologies that augment prescription medication price transparency and measuring how receptive physicians are to using these novel solutions in their daily clinical practice. Our research aims to investigate these topics with a survey of physicians in dermatology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Members of the North Carolina Dermatology Association were contacted through their electronic mailing list and asked to take an online survey. The survey asked several questions about dermatologists' attitudes and beliefs about drug costs. To measure their knowledge of prescription medications, the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost was used as an authoritative price that was compared to the survey takers' price estimates of drugs commonly used in dermatology. Physicians' willingness to use four distinct information system technologies that increase drug price transparency was also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dermatologists believe drug costs are an important factor in patient care and believe access to price information would allow them to provide a higher quality of care. Dermatologists' knowledge of the costs of medicines they commonly prescribe is poor, but they want to utilize information system technologies that increase access to drug pricing information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an unmet demand for information system technologies which increase price transparency of medications in dermatology. Physicians and IT professionals have the opportunity to create novel information systems that can be utilized to help guide cost conscious clinical decision making.
authors.affiliation: Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 600 Moye Blvd, Greenville, NC 27834, United States. Electronic address: demarcos08@students.ecu.edu.
authors.forename: Sebastian S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: DeMarco
authors.affiliation: East Carolina College of Business, Department of Management Information Systems, 344 Slay Hall, Greenville, NC 27858-4353, United States. Electronic address: paulr@ecu.edu.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: President of the North Carolina Dermatology Association, Physicians East Dermatology, 1850 West Arlington Blvd, Greenville, NC 27834, United States. Electronic address: rkilpatrick@physicianseast.com.
authors.forename: Russell J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
mesh_terms: D016303:Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000191:economics*; D003880:Dermatology / Q000191:economics*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000458:organization & administration; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000191:economics*
chemical_list: D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D055553:Prescription Drugs
keywords: Cost; Dermatology; Drugs; Information systems; Knowledge; Medications; Price