Identifying interventions that improve medication safety & rational use of medicines in India.

Background & objectives Medication-related harm is known to be the cause for about 1/10th of hospitalizations. Some estimates from India show that about 90 per cent of medicines consumed are inessential or irrational and contribute towards high out-of-pocket expenditure on health. In this context, the Indian Council of Medical Research in 2022 constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to explore possible solutions that could improve safe and rational use of medicines (SRUMs). The objective of this study was to identify research ideas in the field of SRUM through a survey of relevant stakeholders, and further to prioritize the research ideas using a pre-identified set of criteria. Methods The responses from the identified stakeholders were assessed using the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative method, which is an established research priority-setting methodology. First, the NTF asked for two to six research ideas from relevant Indian and global stakeholders on solutions to improve SRUM. The ideas were checked for duplicates, re-phrased where necessary and classified into various sub-themes. Subsequently, the research ideas were scored by Indian experts with relevant technical expertise using a pre-defined set of five criteria: innovativeness, effectiveness, translational value, answerability and applicability. Each research idea received from a stakeholder was assigned a score under each of the five criteria. The overall research priority score was calculated as a mean of all five criteria-specific scores and converted into a percentage. Results The final output of the prioritization process was a list of research ideas or questions, ranked by their scores. Total 209 unique ideas were received from 190 respondents, which were scored by 27 experts. The top three research topics on medication safety focused on cost-effective strategies for improving antimicrobial stewardship, safe use of poly-pharmacy in geriatric patients and drug take-back policy interventions. Regarding the rational use of medicine, the top three topics included testing mobile application-based antimicrobial stewardship interventions, development of diagnostics for antimicrobial resistance, and behavioural interventions. Interpretation & conclusions Several priority ideas found in this study also align with those of global priority, e.g., safe disposal practices and enhanced pharmacovigilance, rational use of medicines. Patient engagement, which underlines many of the top scoring ideas found in this study, is also inclined with the top research priorities reported by the WHO priority exercise on research into the safe use of medicines. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first such work from a low- and middle- income country on medication safety and rational use of medicines. The findings of this research priority-setting exercise can help to guide research for the development of policy-relevant and novel interventions to improve SRUM in India.

Awareness of the rational use of medicines and the medication counseling practice in community pharmacies in Nyamagana district, Mwanza: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Community pharmacies play a vital role in promoting the rational use of medicines by providing medication counseling to their clients to ensure the safe and appropriate use of medicines. Thus, this study aimed to assess awareness of the rational use of medicines and the medication counseling practice in community pharmacies. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2021. The study was carried out in community pharmacies in Nyamagana district, Mwanza, Tanzania. Data were collected using a self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire. The data for descriptive statistics were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA version 15. Results: A total of 68 pharmaceutical personnel participated in this study. Thirty-eight participants, that is, 55.9%, were aware of the rational use of medicines. The awareness was significantly influenced by the participant's age and profession. The majority of the dispensers practiced rational use of medicines by telling their clients the dose of the medicine (n = 63, 92.6%), frequency of administration (n = 61, 89.7%), and route of administration (n = 60, 88.2%). However, only 21 (30.9%) told clients about the need to comply with their medications. The information that was not regularly provided by dispensers to clients was the side effects of medicines (n = 6, 8.8%). Less than a quarter of participants frequently told their clients information regarding why the medicine is prescribed, drug interactions, storage conditions, and contraindications. Conclusion: This study has shown that almost half of the participants were aware of the rational use of medicines. There was a low frequency at which information was given regarding medication compliance, side effects, storage conditions, drug interactions, and contraindications. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to enhance pharmaceutical personnel's understanding of rational use of medicine principles and improve their practice of patient medication counseling.

Awareness of rational medicine use and medication counseling practices in community pharmacies Why was the study done? Community pharmacies play a vital role in promoting the rational use of medicines by providing medication counseling to their clients to ensure the safe and appropriate use of medicines. Thus, this study aimed to assess awareness of the rational use of medicines and the medication counseling practice in community pharmacies. What did the researchers do? This study was conducted from June to July 2021. The study was carried out in community pharmacies in Nyamagana district, Mwanza, Tanzania. Data were collected using a questionnaire. What did the researchers find? A total of 68 pharmaceutical personnel participated in this study. Thirty-eight participants were aware of the rational use of medicines. The majority of the dispensers practiced rational use of medicines by telling their clients the dose of the medicine (n = 63), frequency of administration (n = 61), and route of administration (n = 60). What do the findings mean? These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to enhance pharmaceutical personnel's understanding of rational use of medicine principles and improve their practice of patient medication counseling.

Evaluation of Rational Medicines Use Based on World Health Organization Core Indicators: A Cross-Sectional Study in Five Health Districts in Mauritania.

Introduction: The rational use of medicines is essential for preventing adverse medicine reactions, achieving therapeutic outcomes, and optimizing treatment costs. While the irrational use of medicines is frequently reported in sub-Saharan Africa, to the best of our knowledge no formal studies have taken place in Mauritania thus far. The main objective of this study was therefore to analyze the rational use of medicines in public and private not-for-profit health facilities, in five health districts in Mauritania. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the rational use of medicines. We used the standard indicators derived from the methodologies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD). Data were prospectively collected from 1050 prescriptions/patients, in thirty-one public and private not-for-profit health posts/centers in 5 health districts. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. P value less than 0.05 at 95% confidence interval considered for significance of relationships for associations in statistical test. Results: The average number of medicines per prescription was 2.21; 83.1% (1931/2325) of medicines were prescribed by generic name, but only 54% (1253/2325) were on the National Essential Medicine List (NEML). Antibiotics were prescribed in 62.4% (655/1050) of the consultations, and injectable medicines were prescribed in 15.6% (164/1050) of the consultations. The average consultation time was 16.32 minutes, and the average dispensing time was 97 seconds. Dispensed medicines were correctly labeled, and 83% (871/1050) of patients met the correct administration schedule. The NEML, and the "restricted NEML" for 76 commonly-used medicines, were available in all surveyed health facilities, but the National Therapeutic Guidelines were available in only 60.26% of them. Conclusion: Our findings indicate a possible excess of antibiotics prescriptions, and a likely lack of knowledge of the National Therapeutic Guidelines. There is a need to investigate in more detail the prescription patterns versus disease-specific therapeutic guidelines, and to qualitatively investigate the factors that contribute to the observed irrational prescribing. Moreover, training local staff in the rational use of medicines seems important.

The National List of Essential Medicines of India 2022 (NLEM 2022): Tommy, Toe the Line.

India recently released its fifth National List of Essential Medicines 2022 (NLEM 2022). A critical analysis of the list was performed and was compared with the WHO 22nd Model List of Essential Medicines published in 2021. The Standing National Committee, since its inception, have taken four years to finalise a list. The analysis identified that all the available formulations and strengths of the selected drugs are included in the list, which must be avoided. Furthermore, the antibacterial agents are not categorised as access, watch and reserve (AWaRe) and this list is not aligned with the national programs, standard treatment guidelines and nomenclature. There are a few factual errors and some typographic errors. These problems in the list need to be rectified immediately so that the document would be able to serve the community more effectively as a true model list.

Contribution to the concept of polypharmacy II. Prescription and use of medicines.

The study defines the basic terminological structure associated with the concepts of prescribing and medication use in relation to polypharmacy. Correctly naming the current prescription or use of a medication by a particular patient allows for the selection of an appropriate change to minimize the medication burden. The aim remains to maintain the desired therapeutic outcomes with an improved quality of life.

Correct administration aid for oral liquid medicines: Is a household spoon the right choice?

Background: Correct medicine dosing is an important component in the safe and effective delivery of medicines, particularly for the pediatric population. However, there is a scarcity of public campaigns on the correct administration and choice of dosing aids for oral liquid dosage form in many countries, leading to medicine safety issues and therapeutic failures. Methods: The study targeted the assessment of the knowledge and practice of university students. It utilizes pre- and post-intervention surveys administered through google forms as a survey tool during online zoom and in-person sessions. The intervention included a short video presentation detailing the selection and use of medicine spoons and other aids for the administration of oral liquid dosage. The Fischer Exact test was used to assess the pre- and post-test shift of responses. Results: Nine-degree programs were engaged in the activity, and 108 students attended this health awareness activity after obtaining formal consent. A significant decline (CI = 95%, **** p-value < 0.05) in the choice of selecting tablespoon and a shift to a low-volume spoon, as well as rejection of an entire variety of household spoons, were observed. A significant improvement in the correct naming of spoons, the meaning of the abbreviation "tsp," and the correct volume of a standard teaspoon were also observed with a p-value of <0.001. Conclusion: A deficit in the knowledge of the proper use of measuring devices for oral liquid medicines in the educated population was observed, which can be enhanced through simple tools like short video presentations and awareness seminars.

Prescription Patterns and Patient Care Practices in Two Tertiary Hospitals in South-South Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate use of medicines still characterize all levels of healthcare, with important public health implications. Available evidence indicate that irrational use of medicines can lead to poor therapeutic outcomes, adverse drug reactions, and thus increase morbidity and mortality rates. This study assessed the prescription pattern, patient and health care facility indicators in two tertiary health facilities in Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1800 prescriptions and 600 patients' encounters was conducted at the General Outpatient Departments of the University of Benin and Delta State University Teaching Hospitals using the WHO drug use indicators. Data from 12-month prescription sheets as well as patient interviews were entered into standard indicator forms and analyzed according to WHO guidelines. RESULTS: Overall, the average number of drugs per encounter was 2.8 ± 1.6. The percentage of generic prescription was 49.6%, while percentage of encounters with antibiotics, antimalarial and injections were 27.4%, 23.2% and 12.4% respectively. Prescription of medicines listed in the Essential Medicines List was 66.6%, even though no copy was available at the consulting rooms. Average consulting and dispensing time were 15.3 minutes and 136 seconds respectively. Percentage of medicines actually dispensed was 86.2% while 98.7% of medicines were adequately labelled. CONCLUSION: Gaps still exist in the rational use of medicines in Nigeria. There needs to be sustained interventional schemes with capacity for monitoring and evaluation to detect inappropriate drug use patterns and prevent the undesirable consequences of irrational use of medicines.

CONTEXTE: L'utilisation inappropriée des médicaments caractérise encore tous les niveaux de soins de santé, avec d'importantes implications pour la santé publique. Les preuves disponibles indiquent que l'utilisation irrationnelle des médicaments peut entraîner de mauvais résultats thérapeutiques, des réactions indésirables aux médicaments et donc augmenter les taux de morbidité et de mortalité. Cette étude a évalué les modèles de prescription, les patients et les indicateurs des établissements de soins de santé dans deux établissements de santé tertiaires au Nigeria. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Une enquête transversale portant sur 1800 ordonnances et 600 rencontres avec des patients a été menée dans les départements ambulatoires généraux de l'Université du Bénin et des hôpitaux universitaires de l'État du Delta à l'aide des indicateurs de consommation de médicaments de l'OMS. Les données des feuilles d'ordonnance de 12 mois ainsi que des entretiens avec les patients ont été saisies dans des formulaires d'indicateurs standard et analysées conformément aux directives de l'OMS. RÉSULTATS: Dans l'ensemble, le nombre moyen de drogues par rencontre était de 2,8 ± 1,6. Le pourcentage de médicaments génériques prescrits était de 49,6 %, tandis que le pourcentage de consultations avec des antibiotiques, des antipaludéens et des injections était de 27,4 %, 23,2 % et 12,4 % respectivement. La prescription des médicaments figurant sur la liste des médicaments essentiels était de 66,6%, même si aucune copie n'était disponible dans les salles de consultation. Le temps moyen de consultation et de distribution était de 15,3 minutes et 136 secondes respectivement. Le pourcentage de médicaments effectivement délivrés était de 86,2 %, tandis que 98,7% des médicaments étaient correctement étiquetés. CONCLUSION: Des lacunes subsistent dans l'utilisation rationnelle des médicaments au Nigéria. Il faut des programmes d'intervention durables dotés d'une capacité de suivi et d'évaluation pour détecter les modes de consommation inappropriés de drogues et prévenir les conséquences indésirables d'une utilisation irrationnelle des médicaments. Mots clés: Médicaments essentiels, Utilisation rationnelle des médicaments, Modèle de prescription, Hôpitaux tertiaires, Sud-Sud du Nigéria.

Atenção farmacêutica e farmacoterapia do idoso: uma revisão integrativa / Pharmaceutical care and pharmacotherapy for the elderly: an integrative review / Atención farmacéutica y farmacoterapia de las personas mayores: una revisión integradora

Este trabalho tem como objetivo selecionar e sintetizar as evidências da literatura sobre o contexto atual da atenção farmacêutica e farmacoterapia do idoso, considerando os aspectos clínicos e sociais envolvidos. A revisão foi conduzida de acordo com as diretrizes do protocolo PRISMA, que consiste na busca, seleção, avaliação e síntese de estudos relevantes sobre o tema. Foram selecionados 15 artigos que atenderam aos critérios de inclusão e exclusão estabelecidos. A análise dos artigos permitiu identificar que a atenção farmacêutica é um serviço que visa otimizar o uso racional de medicamentos e melhorar a qualidade de vida dos pacientes, especialmente dos idosos, que apresentam maior risco de polifarmácia, interações medicamentosas e reações adversas. A farmacoterapia do idoso envolve aspectos fisiológicos, psicológicos, sociais e econômicos que devem ser considerados na prescrição, dispensação e acompanhamento dos medicamentos. No entanto, ainda há precariedade na integração do farmacêutico nas equipes de saúde. Conclui-se que a atenção farmacêutica é uma estratégia importante a ser implementada em todas as equipes de saúde públicas e privadas, para promover o uso seguro e efetivo dos medicamentos pelos idosos, contribuindo para um envelhecimento saudável e digno.

This paper aims to select and synthesize evidence from the literature on the current context of pharmaceutical care and pharmacotherapy of the elderly, considering the clinical and social aspects involved. The review was conducted according to the guidelines of the PRISMA protocol, which consists of the search, selection, evaluation and synthesis of relevant studies on the topic. Fifteen articles that have met the established inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected. The analysis of the articles allowed the identification that pharmaceutical care is a service that aims to optimize the rational use of medicines and improve the quality of life of patients, especially the elderly, who present a higher risk of polypharmacy, drug interactions, and adverse reactions. The pharmacotherapy of the elderly involves physiological, psychological, social, and economic aspects that must be considered when prescribing, dispensing, and monitoring medications. However, there is still a precariousness in the integration of the pharmacist in health teams. It is concluded that pharmaceutical care is an important strategy to be implemented in all public and private health teams, to promote the safe and effective use of medicines by the elderly, contributing to a healthy and dignified aging.

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo seleccionar y sintetizar la evidencia de la literatura sobre el contexto actual de la atención farmacéutica y la farmacoterapia de las personas mayores, considerando los aspectos clínicos y sociales implicados. La revisión se ha realizado siguiendo las directrices del protocolo PRISMA, que consiste en la búsqueda, selección, evaluación y síntesis de estudios relevantes sobre el tema. Se seleccionaron 15 artículos que cumplieron los criterios de inclusión y exclusión establecidos. El análisis de los artículos permitió identificar que la atención farmacéutica es un servicio que tiene como objetivo optimizar el uso racional de los medicamentos y mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes, especialmente de los ancianos, que presentan un mayor riesgo de polifarmacia, interacciones medicamentosas y reacciones adversas. La farmacoterapia del anciano implica aspectos fisiológicos, psicológicos, sociales y económicos que deben ser considerados a la hora de prescribir, dispensar y monitorizar los medicamentos. Sin embargo, todavía existe una precariedad en la integración del farmacéutico en los equipos de salud. Se concluye que la atención farmacéutica es una estrategia importante a ser implementada en todos los equipos de salud públicos y privados, para promover el uso seguro y eficaz de los medicamentos por los ancianos, contribuyendo para un envejecimiento saludable y digno.

Consumo de anticoncepcionais e fatores associados entre estudantes universitários / Contraceptive use and associated factors among university students

Introdução: o uso de anticoncepcionais vem crescendo a cada ano, sendo um dos principais motivos para a redução das taxas de fecundidade total, inclusive na população mais jovem, como a universitária. Objetivo: identificar o consumo de anticoncepcionais hormonais e fatores associados entre estudantes universitárias. Métodos: a população de estudo foi composta por estudantes universitárias matriculadas nos cursos de graduação da Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), em Londrina, estado do Paraná, Brasil, no ano de 2019, integrantes do projeto maior denominado GraduaUEL. As estudantes responderam um instrumento construído em uma plataforma digital on-line. A variável dependente foi o consumo de contraceptivos hormonais, e as variáveis independentes foram aspectos sociodemográficos e hábitos de vida e de saúde. As associações medidas foram verificadas por meio de Regressão de Poisson, com cálculo da Razão de Prevalência (RP) e intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC 95%). Resultados: das 2.221 estudantes avaliadas, identificou-se o consumo de contraceptivos por 13,0%, maior entre mulheres brancas/amarelas, que relataram serem heterossexuais, que apresentavam pais com maior escolaridade, que referiram possuir plano privado de saúde e companheiro, e que praticavam atividade física pelo menos duas vezes na semana. Entretanto, apenas o fato de serem heterossexuais mostrou-se associação significativa após a análise ajustada (RP: 1,865; IC 95%: 1,308-2,659). Conclusões: diante do exposto, fica clara a necessidade de preparar os profissionais de saúde sobre os contraceptivos e seus efeitos adversos; ainda, que questões sociais devem ser consideradas no processo de uso dos contraceptivos, para combater a discriminação e as desigualdades social e econômica quanto ao acesso e uso destes medicamentos.

Introduction: the use of contraceptives has been growing every year, being one of the main reasons for the reduction in total fertility rates, including in the younger population, such as university students. Objective: identify the consumption of hormonal contraceptives and associated factors among university students. Methods: the study population consisted of university students enrolled in undergraduate courses at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), in Londrina, Paraná state, Brazil, in 2019, members of the larger project called GraduaUEL. The students answered an instrument built on an on-line digital platform. The dependent variable was the consumption of hormonal contraceptives, and the independent variables were sociodemographic aspects, lifestyle and health. Measured associations were verified using Poisson Regression, with calculation of the Prevalence Ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: of the 2,221 students evaluated, the consumption of contraceptives was identified by 13.0%, higher among white/yellow women, who reported being heterosexual, who had parents with higher education, who reported having a private health plan and partner, and who practiced physical activity at least twice a week. However, only the fact of being heterosexual showed a significant association after the adjusted analysis (PR: 1.865; 95% CI: 1.308-2.659). Conclusions: in light of the above, the need to prepare health professionals about contraceptives and their adverse effects is clear, as well as what social issues should be considered in the process of using contraceptives, to combat discrimination, social and economic inequality regarding access and the use of these medications.

Assessment of WHO core drug use indicators at a tertiary care Institute of National importance in India.

Rational prescribing of medicines is an important aspect of drug prescribing which helps in safe and efficacious and cost-effective drug treatment for patients. WHO Prescription indicators are intended to evaluate the services provided to the population concerning the rational use of medicines. The study aims to study prescription practices and rational use of medicines in the department of Internal medicine, using WHO prescribing indicators in a tertiary care teaching institute of national importance. A total of 50 prescriptions were digitally photographed and analysed for prescription practices and rational drug use, using standard WHO core prescribing indicators. A total of 301 drugs with multiple and diverse diagnoses were used. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 22 version. The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.48%. It was found that only 13.79% of prescriptions have generic names, whereas 27.58% of patient encounters had at least one drug from the National List of Essential Medicine, 6.8% of prescriptions have antibiotics and 0.7% of prescriptions were injections. The number of prescriptions with fixed drug combinations was 27.55%. Indicators such as percentage of the National List of Essential Medicine, fixed drug combinations and prescribing with a generic name are used. Hence, we will suggest regular prescription audit practices and conducting CMEs and training workshops for clinicians for the rational use of medicines in all healthcare settings to succeed in the rational use of medicine.

Análise da polifarmácia e de fatores associados ao uso racional de medicamentos em idosos moradores de residência de cuidados de longa permanência / Analysis of polypharmacy and factors associated with the rational use of medicines in elderly residents of long-term care residences

Este trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a polifarmácia e os fatores associados ao uso racional de medicamentos em idosos moradores de residência de cuidado de longa permanência na perspectiva do cuidado nas condições crônicas de saúde. Foi desenvolvido junto a 68 prontuários, prescrições médicas e/ou registros de administração de medicamentos de idosos moradores de um residencial filantrópico do Vale do Paranapanema/São Paulo. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de um instrumento com perguntas abertas e fechadas sobre a temática e a análise se deu por meio do cálculo de frequência absoluta e relativa. A polifarmácia fazia parte da vida de grande parte dos idosos. Não foi possível compreender, por falta de sistematização e de controle documental interno, como os responsáveis técnicos do setor administrativo e da saúde adquiriam medicamentos, nem os custos envolvidos com a compra e o desperdício. Os medicamentos e seus resíduos eram descartados no lixo orgânico. Não foi possível também determinar se idosos recebiam o medicamento apropriado às suas necessidades clínicas, na dose e no período adequado às suas condições de saúde. Conclui-se que idosos moradores do residencial estão expostos à polifarmácia e o uso racional de medicamentos não é praticado.

This study aimed to analyze polypharmacy and factors associated with the rational use of medicines in elderly residents of long-term care homes from the perspective of care in chronic health conditions. This study was developed with sixty-eight medical records, medical prescriptions, and/or medication administration records of elderly residents of a philanthropic home, located in a municipality in the Vale do Paranapanema/São Paulo. Data was collected using an instrument with open and closed questions on the theme. The analysis consisted of calculating absolute and relative frequency. Polypharmacy was part of the life of most elderly people. It was not possible to understand, due to the lack of systematization and internal document control, how the technicians responsible for the administrative and health sectors acquired the medicines, nor the costs involved with the purchase and waste. Medicines and their residues were disposed of in organic waste. It was also not possible to determine whether the elderly received medication appropriate to their clinical needs, in the dose and within the appropriate period to their health conditions. Therefore, elderly residents of the residential are exposed to polypharmacy and the rational use of medicines is not practiced.

Evaluating the implementation of the standard treatment guidelines (STGs) and essential medicines list (EML) at a public South African tertiary institution and its associated primary health care (PHC) facilities.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment guidelines (STGs) and essential medicines list (EML) were a policy option recommended in the National Drug Policy for South Africa in 1996 to address the irrational and bloated medicines procurement list. STGs/EML serve as a tool to promote cost-effective use of medicines; rational prescribing; and improve accessibility to medicines for all citizens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use and implementation of the STGs/EML by prescribers at a public tertiary institution and its associated Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in the uMhlathuze subdistrict of KwaZulu Natal. The study aimed to provide feedback and to make recommendations to policy makers to improve the use and implementation of the STGs/EML and to inform National Health Insurance (NHI) policy development. METHOD: An observational quantitative descriptive research design was used. A retrospective audit of prescriptions was conducted, and questionnaires were utilized to collect data from prescribers and the facilities to evaluate the utilization of the STGs/EML and the rational use of medicines. All descriptive analyses were presented as counts with percentages, and Fisher's exact test was used to compare results. The data was summarized, reduced, and analysed using SAS statistics software. RESULTS: 107 medical doctors (97%) responded to the questionnaire at hospital level and 98 nurses (98%) responded to the questionnaire at the PHC level. Results revealed that the majority of doctors, 94.4%, had access to the latest STGs/EML compared with only 41.8% of nurses. 70.3% and 78.3% of doctor's and nurse's prescriptions, respectively, adhered to the guidelines. 94.9% of nurses requested training on the use of STGs/EML as most of them had not received formal training on its use. CONCLUSION: This study showed suboptimal adherence to STGs/EML by all prescribers, in contrast to previous research amongst nurses when hardcopies were available. Training on the use of the STGs/EML is needed at PHC level and improved monitoring of STGs/EML compliance is necessary. This study may be replicated for a wider population to paint a national picture and to periodically assess the extent of the implementation of the STGs/EML.

Adherence to standard treatment guidelines among prescribers in primary healthcare facilities in the Dodoma region of Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Tanzania's primary healthcare system suffers from a scarcity of financial and human resources that impedes its effectiveness to deliver dependable and uniform quality healthcare. Adherence to standard treatment guidelines (STG) can help provide more consistent and correct diagnoses and treatments and limit the irrational use of medicines and the negative health consequences that can occur as a result. The purpose of this study was to investigate prescribers' adherence of their diagnoses and respective treatments to national STG and to identify potential areas for planning interventions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on prescribers' adherence to diagnosis and treatment, according to national STG, was conducted in 2012 in public primary healthcare facilities (HCF) in the Dodoma region of Tanzania. Information on 2886 patients was collected, prospectively and retrospectively, from 120 HCF across the Dodoma region using a structured questionnaire. Twenty-five broadly defined main illness groups were recorded and the nine most prevalent and relevant conditions were statistically analysed in detail. RESULTS: Diagnoses and related treatments were recorded and analysed in 2872 cases. The nine most prevalent conditions were upper respiratory tract infections (25%), malaria (18%), diarrhoea (9.9%), pneumonia (6.1%), skin problems (5.8%), gastrointestinal diagnoses (5%), urinary tract infections (4%), worm infestations (3.6%) and eye problems (2.1%). Only 1.8% of all diagnoses were non-communicable diseases. The proportion of prescribers' primary diagnoses that completely adhered to national STG was 599 (29.9%), those that partially adhered totalled 775 (38.7%), wrong medication was given in 621 cases (30.9%) and no diagnosis or medication was given in nine cases (0.5%). Sixty-one percent of all patients received an antibiotic regardless of the diagnoses. Complete adherence was highest when worms were diagnosed and lowest for diarrhoea. The proportion of cases that did not adhere to STG was highest with patients with skin problems and lowest for malaria. CONCLUSION: Prescribers' general adherence to national STG in primary HCF in the public sector in Dodoma region is sub-optimal. The reasons are multifaceted and focused attention, directed at improving prescribing and pharmacotherapy, is required with a view of improving patient care and health outcomes.

Guiding principles for the use of knowledge bases and real-world data in clinical decision support systems: report by an international expert workshop at Karolinska Institutet.

INTRODUCTION: Technical and logical breakthroughs have provided new opportunities in medicine to use knowledge bases and large-scale clinical data (real-world) at point-of-care as part of a learning healthcare system to diminish the knowledge-practice gap. AREAS COVERED: The article is based on presentations, discussions and recommendations from an international scientific workshop. Value, research needs and funding avenues of knowledge bases and access to real-world data as well as transparency and incorporation of patient perspectives are discussed. EXPERT OPINION: Evidence-based, publicly funded, well-structured and curated knowledge bases are of global importance. They ought to be considered as a public responsibility requiring transparency and handling of conflicts of interest. Information has to be made accessible for clinical decision support systems (CDSS) for healthcare staff and patients. Access to rich and real-world data is essential for a learning health care ecosystem and can be augmented by data on patient-reported outcomes and preferences. This field can progress by the establishment of an international policy group for developing a best practice guideline on the development, maintenance, governance, evaluation principles and financing of open-source knowledge bases and handling of real-world data.

Use of statins for the secondary prevention of stroke: are we respecting the scientific evidences?

BACKGROUND: Stroke accounts for approximately as 5.0% of disability-adjusted years of life and 10.0% of all deaths worldwide. Secondary stroke prevention in surviving individuals, which includes the use of statins, reduces atherothrombotic stroke recurrence, complications and mortality. The present study aimed to characterize the Brazilian population with stroke history and estimate the prevalence of statin use as secondary prevention. METHODS: This is a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in Brazilian urban areas. A total of 41.433 individuals were interviewed, representing 171 million of Brazilians, based on post-stratification weights. We included only participants aged 20 years or older who answered "yes" to the following question: "Did any doctor ever tell you that you had a stroke?" The main outcome was the prevalence of statin use among individuals who answered affirmatively. To identify the factors associated with stroke occurrence, the participants were categorized according to clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Only 24.2% (95% CI 19.9 - 29.1) of those who reported history of stroke regardless of other conditions also reported statin use. However, the results indicated that 52.9% (95% CI 43.6 - 62.0) of individuals who reported a previous diagnosis of dyslipidemia stated the use of statins. Regarding patients who reported stroke and did not report dyslipidemia history, only 9.1% (95% CI 5.9 - 13.8) referred to use statins. CONCLUSION: This study showed a low prevalence of statin use by individuals with a history of stroke in Brazil. Actions involving the organization of services and training of professionals may positively impact the rates of stroke recurrence.

Mapping of Current Obstacles for Rationalizing Use of Medicines (CORUM) in Europe: Current Situation and Potential Solutions.

INTRODUCTION: There are increasing concerns regarding the inappropriate use of medicines with expenditure continuing to grow driven by increasing sales in oncology and orphan diseases, enhanced by their emotive nature. As a result, even high income countries are struggling to fund new premium priced medicines. These concerns have resulted in initiatives to better manage the entry of new medicines and enhance the rational use of medicines (RUM). However, there is a need to ascertain the current situation. We sought to address this by developing the Current Obstacles for Rationalizing Use of Medicines in Europe (CORUM) mapping tool to qualitatively investigate the current situation and provide analysis of current views on RUM and interventions among key European payers and their advisers. The findings will be used to provide future guidance. METHODOLOGY: Descriptive study exploring and identifying perceived gaps to achieving optimal RUM. The CORUM tool was based on the WHO 12 key interventions to promote RUM. RESULTS: 62 participants took part with most respondents believing their country could improve RUM capacity. This included educational initiatives on the use of clinical guidelines (90%) and the inclusion of problem-based pharmacotherapy in undergraduate curricula and for Continued Professional Development. Key challenges included a lack of regular updates of guidelines, exacerbated by limited funding and a lack of follow-up to monitor adherence to agreed guidelines. RUM could also be enhanced by the development of regional formularies as well as implementing Drug and Therapeutic Committees where these are currently limited. There also needs to be greater co-ordination between RUM and Health Technology Assessment activities, with countries learning from each other. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need to improve RUM through improved educational and other activities among European countries, with countries learning from each other. This will involve addressing current challenges and we will be following this up.

Paediatric Rational Prescribing: A Systematic Review of Assessment Tools.

Rational prescribing criteria have been well established in adult medicine for both research and quality improvement in the appropriate use of medicines. Paediatric rational prescribing has not been as widely investigated. The aims of this review were to identify and provide an overview of all paediatric rational prescribing tools that have been developed for use in paediatric settings. A systematic literature search was made of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and IPA from their earliest records until July 2019 for all published paediatric rational prescribing tools. The characteristics of the tools were recorded including method of development, types of criteria, aspects of rational prescribing assessed, and intended practice setting. The search identified three paediatric rational prescribing tools: the POPI (Pediatrics: Omissions of Prescriptions and Inappropriate Prescriptions) tool, the modified POPI (UK) tool, and indicators of potentially inappropriate prescribing in children (PIPc). PIPc comprises explicit criteria, whereas POPI and the modified POPI (UK) use a mixed approach. PIPc is designed for use in primary care in the UK and Ireland, POPI is designed for use in all paediatric practice settings and is based on French practice standards, and the modified POPI (UK) is based on UK practice standards and is designed for use in all paediatric practice settings. This review describes three paediatric rational prescribing tools and details their characteristics. This will provide readers with information for the use of the tools in quality improvement or research and support further work in the field of paediatric rational prescribing.