Important
Issues about
Rational Drug Use
Yolanda
R. Robles, PhD
What is
Rational Drug Use (RDU)?
Rational Drug Use refers to the appropriate
use of drugs in patients such that "the right
patient gets the right dose of the right
medicine at the right time".
Who should be concerned with Rational
Drug Use?
Everyone who is involved in the drug use
process: the physician who prescribes the drugs, the pharmacist
who dispenses them, the nurse who administers the drugs and the
patient who takes them.
Why is there a need to know about
Rational Drug Use?
Because
• There are documented ill
effects of irrational drug therapy resulting in sickness, aggravation
of existing diseases and even death of the patient.
• It is expensive to address
the negative health effects of irrational drug therapy.
• People need to be empowered
with information on drugs to make intelligent, informed decisions
about their health.
• Many of the reported adverse
events associated with drug therapy are preventable and therefore,
could be minimized if made known to concerned individuals ahead
of time.
What are the common problems in
drug therapy of which people should be aware?
Common examples are: inappropriate drug
prescribed, dispensed, administered or used; Wrong dosage, incorrect
frequency of intake, underdose or overdose, therapeutic duplication,
adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, noncompliance and failure
to receive therapy, among others.
How can drug therapy problems be
avoided?
Here are some recommendations for DOCTORS:
• Doctors
should be careful in prescribing drugs, taking into consideration
all disease and patient-related factors which may influence the
choice of drugs for a specific patient.
• Doctors
should write clearly and avoid the use of unconventional terms and
abbreviations when writing prescriptions.
Below are notes for PHARMACISTS
and NURSES:
• Pharmacists
should always ask for a prescription when dispensing prescription
drugs.
• Pharmacists
should check the prescription carefully and communicate with the
prescriber when information on the prescription is unclear or when
in doubt.
• Pharmacists
should carefully recommend over-the-counter drugs only for minor
symptoms but refer the patient to the physician when deemed important
and necessary.
• Nurses
should check and double-check information on medication orders with
the drugs to be administered.
And PATIENTS
should also act responsibly:
• Patients
need to ask when instructions about their medications is not clear.
• Patients
should do their best to follow instructions on how and when to take
their medications.
What can I do to avoid drug therapy
problems?
BE PROACTIVE.
Ask the doctor or pharmacist (not just the saleslady)
about the proper intake of medications, or what you fail to understand
about your drugs.
READ,
LISTEN, STUDY about the medicines you are taking.
BE
OBSERVANT of what you feel as you take your medications.
REPORT
to the doctor whatever unusual effects you experience in taking
drugs.
FOLLOW
instructions as much as possible to get the most from your medicines.
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