Quality of Medicine

Abstract

Whether in the private or public sectors, medicines constitute a large proportion of the recurrent cost of providing care to patients. Despite this, there is good evidence that medicines are not always well used - that the quality of prescribing could be improved, that dispensing practices could be improved, and that patient compliance is less than optimal. This column - which is planned to appear in each issue of the journal - will try to focus some additional attention on the issue of the quality use of medicines Many terms have been used to describe this goal - such as "rational drug use". lt is expressed most simply by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "therapeutically sound and cost-effective use of drugs by health professionals and consumers". The Australians have perhaps the most extensive explanation.