BACKGROUND Adherence to prescribing guidelines varies between primary health care units. The aim of the present study was to investigate correlations between characteristics of primary health care units and adherence to prescribing objectives for rational drug use with focus on drug information from the pharmaceutical industry. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed in all 25 primary h...

The importance of rational prescribing in low-income and lower-middle-income countries is highlighted by the paper published by Risk and colleagues. The authors evaluated the prescribing practices of health professionals treating children under the age of 5 years in 20 different public health centres in The Gambia. There were over 300 young children seen with diarrhoea, and a similar number see...

BACKGROUND Rational medicine use is essential to optimize quality of healthcare delivery and resource utilization. We aim to conduct a systematic review of changes in prescribing patterns in the WHO African region and comparison with WHO indicators in two time periods 1995-2005 and 2006-2015. METHODS Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, Africa-Wide Nipad, Afri...

BACKGROUND Insight into factors that influence antibiotic prescribing is crucial when developing interventions aimed at a more rational use of antibiotics. We examined factors that influence antibiotic prescribing in long-term care facilities, and present a conceptual model that integrates these factors. METHODS Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with physicians (n = 13) an...

BACKGROUND The appropriate use of medicines is essential for the provision of quality health services, patient safety, and the rational use of health resources. In Sudan, general practitioners (GPs) provide 80 % of insured patients' health services. Pharmaceutical service costs have been increasing since 2010. OBJECTIVES We aimed to use the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Ne...

BACKGROUND Prescribing is a commonly used skill which has until recently been poorly taught in medical school curricula. This is despite the fact that there are a number of proven approaches to teaching better prescribing. OBJECTIVE The WHO Guide to Good Prescribing is discussed, with an example elaborating the steps involved in the process. DISCUSSION Central to this approach is the develo...

A number of strategies have been shown to improve the quality of drug prescriptions. The objective of this study was to implement and assess the effectiveness of 3 interventions on physicians' prescribing and cost containment: training physicians about quality prescribing; regulatory and administrative measures to improve rational drug prescribing; and a multi-faceted approach using 2 these str...

Rational prescribing is associated with improved safety in drug use, better quality of life for patients and cost-effective care. Medication prescribing is a relatively unexplored area of research in Saudi Arabia and until now most studies have been in the secondary and tertiary health care system. This paper is the first of 3 review articles that form the background for a series of 5 interconn...