⚠ Important: These references were used to inform the dosing and clinical information presented in the medication reference tool. Doses, indications, and clinical recommendations change over time. Always verify against the most current edition of each source, your institution's formulary, and current clinical practice guidelines before prescribing. This tool is not a substitute for clinical judgment or formal prescribing references.
Primary Drug References
1
Database
RxTx / Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS)
Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA). Ottawa: CPhA; 2024. Canada's primary prescribing and drug information reference, covering approved indications, dosing, contraindications, and adverse effects for medications available in Canada.
Health Canada. Drug Product Database Online Query. Ottawa: Government of Canada; 2024. Official Canadian registry of pharmaceutical products, including approved indications, product monographs, and regulatory status.
Used for: All categories — Canadian regulatory approval
Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) — Clinical Practice Guidelines
Infectious Diseases Society of America. IDSA Practice Guidelines. Arlington, VA: IDSA; 2024. Encompasses guidelines for management of community-acquired infections, STIs, UTIs, fungal infections (candidiasis), herpes viruses, and antimicrobial stewardship principles.
Bugs & Drugs — Alberta Health Services Antimicrobial Reference
Alberta Health Services Pharmacy Services. Bugs & Drugs: An Antimicrobial/Infectious Disease Reference. Edmonton: AHS; 2024. Canadian antimicrobial reference providing evidence-based empiric therapy recommendations, local susceptibility patterns, and dosing guidance for common infections encountered in Canadian hospitals.
Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) — Clinical Practice Guidelines
Canadian Cardiovascular Society. CCS Clinical Practice Guidelines. Ottawa: CCS; 2024. Authoritative Canadian guidelines covering hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, dyslipidemia, and antithrombotic therapy. Specific documents include the CCS AF Guidelines, HF Guidelines, and Dyslipidemia Guidelines.
Used for: AntihypertensivesAntiarrhythmicsStatins / Lipid LoweringAntiplatelet / Anticoagulation
American Society of Hematology 2021 Guidelines for Management of Venous Thromboembolism
Lim W, Le Gal G, Bates SM, et al. American Society of Hematology 2018 Guidelines for management of venous thromboembolism: diagnosis of venous thromboembolism. Blood Advances. 2018;2(22):3226–3256. (Updated guidance continued in 2020–2021 series.)
CCS Comprehensive Guidelines for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation
Andrade JG, Aguilar M, Atzema C, et al. The 2020 Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian Heart Rhythm Society Comprehensive Guidelines for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation. Can J Cardiol. 2020;36(12):1847–1948.
Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee. Diabetes Canada 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada. Can J Diabetes. 2023;47(4 Suppl 1):S1–S256.
GOLD 2024 Report: Global Strategy for Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of COPD
Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). 2024 Global Strategy for Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of COPD. Fontana, WI: GOLD; 2024. Annual evidence-based guidelines for COPD pharmacotherapy, exacerbation management, and inhaled therapy selection.
SCCM PADIS Guidelines 2018 — Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in the ICU
Devlin JW, Skrobik Y, Gélinas C, et al. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU. Crit Care Med. 2018;46(9):e825–e873.
American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) — Clinical Practice Guidelines
American Gastroenterological Association. AGA Clinical Practice Guidelines. Bethesda, MD: AGA; 2024. Covers management of H. pylori eradication therapy, GI bleeding, stress ulcer prophylaxis, PPI use in the inpatient setting, and upper GI disorders.
World Health Organization. WHO Model Formulary 2023. Geneva: WHO; 2023. Based on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. Provides standardized dosing, indications, contraindications, and precautions for essential medicines including analgesics, vitamins, and general ward medications.
Colivicchi F, Ammirati F, Melina D, et al. Development and prospective validation of a risk stratification system for patients with syncope in the emergency department: the OESIL risk score. Eur Heart J. 2003;24(9):811–819.
4Ts Score — Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Pretest Probability
Lo GK, Juhl D, Warkentin TE, et al. Evaluation of pretest clinical score (4 T's) for the diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in two clinical settings. J Thromb Haemost. 2006;4(4):759–765.
Lip GY, Nieuwlaat R, Pisters R, et al. Refining clinical risk stratification for predicting stroke and thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation using a novel risk factor-based approach: the Euro Heart Survey on Atrial Fibrillation. Chest. 2010;137(2):263–272.
Pisters R, Lane DA, Nieuwlaat R, et al. A novel user-friendly score (HAS-BLED) to assess 1-year risk of major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation: the Euro Heart Survey. Chest. 2010;138(5):1093–1100.
Lim WS, van der Eerden MM, Laing R, et al. Defining community acquired pneumonia severity on presentation to hospital: an international derivation and validation study. Thorax. 2003;58(5):377–382.
Wells PS, Anderson DR, Bormanis J, et al. Value of assessment of pretest probability of deep-vein thrombosis in clinical management. Lancet. 1997;350(9094):1795–1798. / Wells PS, Anderson DR, Rodger M, et al. Derivation of a simple clinical model to categorize patients' probability of pulmonary embolism. Thromb Haemost. 2000;83(3):416–420.
Access Notes: RxTx/CPS and UpToDate require institutional or individual subscriptions. Health Canada's Drug Product Database and all society guideline websites listed are freely accessible. DOI links resolve to publisher sites and may require journal subscriptions for full-text access. Many IDSA, CCS, and ASH guidelines are available free of charge at their respective society websites.
Currency: Drug dosing guidelines are updated frequently. Reference dates reflect the most recent editions available at time of compilation. Always confirm against the current version of each resource.