Page 17 - 2nd Issue- RuAHS Newsletter

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Scholarly Articles
Promoting Rational Use of Medicines
Ms. K.P.I.I. Anuruddhika, AH/PH/2017/160 , Department of Pharmacy
Rational use of medicine is essential to bring Over-use of injections for non-bacterial
about optimal health outcomes. World Health infections when oral formulations would
Organization (WHO) defined the Rational Use be more appropriate.
of Drugs (RUD) which requires “Patients Failure to prescribe in accordance with
receive medications appropriate to their clinical guidelines.
clinical needs, in doses that meet their own Inappropriate self-medication, often of
individual requirements, for an adequate prescription only medicines.
period of time, and at the lowest cost to them Non-sterile injections to the transmission
and their community” (WHO, 1985). of hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and other blood-
However, the irrational drug use has become a borne diseases.
major health problem throughout the world. Lack of access to medicines and
WHO estimates that more than half of all inappropriate doses results in serious
medicines are prescribed, dispensed, or sold morbidity and mortality (WHO, 2002).
inappropriately and half of all patients fail to
take them correctly (WHO, 2002). Therefore, healthcare professionals,
government and consumers/patients have a
Irrational use of medicines by both healthcare vital role and responsibility to avoid
professionals and consumers account for inappropriate drug use and also implementing
violation of the guidelines of the RUD, strategies to ensure rational use of medicines.
wastage of scarce resources and leading to
health hazards. Moreover, irrational use of Rational use of medicine includes correct
medicines is associated with a range of prescribing, dispensing and adherence. As role
consequences such as antimicrobial resistance, of prescriber, sufficient consultation time
adverse drug reactions, reduces quality of should be required to assess and make
therapy, and psychological impact (patient complete patient evaluation and select the
over dependence on drugs) (Sabir, 2018). most appropriate and cost-effective drug
Growing antibiotic resistance, driven by the therapy. It also facilitates building better
presence of antibiotics in the environment, is relationship between patient and physician as
now considered as one of the world's main well as increases patients’ treatment
health issues. In addition to antimicrobials, adherence. A study has been conducted in
other therapeutic agents such as painkillers, United Arab Emirates proposed solutions to
contraceptives, and anti-parasitic are assess professional practices and perception
commonly irrationally used drugs. Certain towards the rational use of medicines. It
examples for non-rational use of medicines are suggested that the use of printed labels rather
than handwritten labels to minimize
Use of too many medicines per medication errors during prescribing would be
patient(polypharmacy). more effective (WHO, 2002). It will prevent
Inappropriate use of antimicrobials, often interpretation problems due to inexplicit
in inadequate dosage. handwriting and also can provide much
information on drugs and their administration.

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