physics

Physicians' Desk Reference

Physicians' Desk Reference is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Physicians' Desk Reference rather than just read about it. In short: The Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR), renamed Prescriber's Digital Reference after its physical publication was discontinued, is a compilation of manufacturers' prescribing information (package insert) on prescription drugs, updated regularly and published by ConnectiveRx. History The original PDR was titled Physicians' Desk Reference but was renamed because not all prescribers are physicians and the reference is no…

Key takeaways

Physicians' Desk Reference belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Physicians' Desk Reference to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Physicians' Desk Reference from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR), renamed Prescriber's Digital Reference after its physical publication was discontinued, is a compilation of manufacturers' prescribing information (package insert) on prescription drugs, updated regularly and published by ConnectiveRx.

History The original PDR was titled Physicians' Desk Reference but was renamed because not all prescribers are physicians and the reference is no longer a hardback book used on a desk. While marketed as a means of providing physicians with the full legally mandated information relevant to writing prescriptions, it was widely available in libraries and bookstores, was widely used by other medical specialists, and was sometimes valuable to the layman. The book was distributed for free to all licensed medical doctors in America; only drugs which drug manufacturers paid to appear, appeared in the PDR, and no generic drugs were listed. The 71st Edition, published in 2017, was the final hardcover edition, weighed in at 4.6 pounds (2.1 kg) and contained information on over 1,000 drugs. Since then, the PDR has been available online for free. The Physicians' Desk Reference was first published in 1947 by Medical Economics Inc., a magazine publisher founded by Lansing Chapman. Medical Economics Inc. merged with Reinhold Publishing in 1966 to form Chapman-Reinhold. Litton Industries, which owned the American Book Company, acquired Chapman-Reinhold in 1968. Litton sold its publishing business to the International Thomson Organization (ITO) in 1981. ITO successor Thomson Reuters sold the Physicians' Desk Reference to Lee Equity Partners in 2009; Lee formed the new parent company PDR Network. Lee sold PDR Network to Genstar Capital in 2015. Genstar merged PDR Network into the new company ConnectiveRx.

About the PDR The PDR material contained includes:

Comprehensive indexing (four sections) by Manufacturer Products (by company's or trademarked drug name) Category index (for example, "antibiotics") Generic/chemical index (non-trademark common drug names) Color images of medications Product information, consistent with FDA labeling Chemical information Function/action Indications & Contraindications Trial research, side effects, warnings

Related references The PDR has several versions and related volumes:

PDR PDR for Nonprescription Drugs, Dietary Supplements, and Herbs PDR Drug Interactions and Side Effects Index PDRhealth—Version in lay terms. PDR Family Guide to Over-the-Counter Drugs—Lay term guide to non-prescription medication. PDR for Ophthalmic Medicines PDR Drug Guide for Mental Health Professionals PDR for Herbal Medicines

References

External links PDR.Net—online version, free consumer drug and medical information site.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Physicians' Desk Reference

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Physicians' Desk Reference claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Physicians' Desk Reference before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Physicians' Desk Reference ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Physicians' Desk Reference

In research: Physicians' Desk Reference appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Physicians' Desk Reference in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Physicians' Desk Reference is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Medical manuals, Pharmacology literature, Thomson Reuters, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Physicians' Desk Reference outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Physicians' Desk Reference in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Physicians' Desk Reference means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Physicians' Desk Reference out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Physicians' Desk Reference in simple terms?

Why does Physicians' Desk Reference matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Physicians' Desk Reference?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Physicians' Desk Reference.