Terra Pharmaceuticals
We support Rational
Drug Use
The use of wrong, unnecessary, ineffective, and high-cost drugs all over the world causes problems in various aspects. We feel responsible for raising awareness on this issue and raising public awareness.
What is Rational Drug Use (RDU)?
Rational Drug Use, as defined by WHO in 1985, is “the ability of individuals to access the appropriate drug according to their clinical findings and individual characteristics, in the appropriate time and dose, easily at the most affordable cost.” Appropriate drug for an indication can be chosen as a rational one if efficacy, safety, and cost criteria have been taken into account.
Why is Rational Drug Use necessary?
Rational Drug Use primarily respects the public health and the interest of the society.
There are various problems related to the wrong, unnecessary, ineffective, and high-cost drug use all over the world. Among these detected problems are prescribing drugs that do not comply with basic drug lists or current guidelines; inappropriate prescription/use of drugs in private patient groups; unnecessarily prescription /use of expensive drugs, unnecessarily prescription /use of antibiotics or unnecessarily prescription /use of injection preparations; physicians not providing adequate information to their patients about their treatment; not taking due care for the prescriptions to contain all the correct information required; pharmacists not behaving adequately in meeting the prescriptions, assigning medications and informing the patient; medical personnel making drug application errors; existence of various infrastructure problems resulting from the production and distribution of drugs facilitating the use of improper drugs, all of which revealing the requirement of AIK.
What should we consider in Rational Drug Use?
First of all, the problem of the patient must be identified, which means, the correct diagnosis must be made by the physician. In line with this, the steps of defining effective treatment with or without medication, choosing the appropriate drug if a drug treatment is to be applied, determining the appropriate dose and duration of administration for each drug, and writing an appropriate prescription should be followed.
At this stage, approved and up-to-date diagnosis and treatment guidelines should be taken as the basis.
- The physician should inquire about the latest medications the patient has used or is currently using.
- The patient/patient relatives should be informed about the possible side effects of the drug as well as food and drug interactions.
- Women in their pregnancy and lactation phases, children, the elderly, those with kidney and liver failure, and patients with a drug allergy history should be more careful about drug use.
- Drugs should be kept out of the sight and reach of children and in their packaging.
- Cut and opened packages should not be purchased and medicines that have expired must never be used.
What does Irrational Drug Use (IDR) cover?
In the use of drugs in an irrational manner, unnecessary and excessive use of drugs, the choice of treatment incompatible with clinical guidelines, inappropriate preference of new drugs on the market, inattentive and careless use of drugs (method of application, duration, dose...), application of inappropriate personal treatments, unnecessary consumption of antibiotics, unnecessary recommendation of injections, unnecessary and inappropriate use of vitamins, insensible use of food supplements and herbal products, neglecting drug-drug interactions and nutrient-drug interactions can be listed. Irrational drug use leads to decreased compliance with the treatment, drug interactions, resistance to some drugs, recurrence or prolongation of diseases, increased incidence of adverse events, and increased treatment costs.
What are the mistakes in the implementation of Rational Drug Use?
Errors in the implementation of Rational Drug Use can be listed as follows:
- Incorrect or incomplete description of the patient's problem,
- Failure to provide a correct diagnosis,
- Inappropriate treatment and drug selection,
- Incomplete or incorrect prescription if medicated treatment has been planned,
- Improper planning of drugs and dose adjustment,
- Failure to provide the correct medication to the patient,
- Incorrect or incomplete marking, information and labeling on the drug boxes,
- Lack of communication with the patient,
- Failure to provide sufficient information to the patient about the disease, treatment process, drug use, application and storage conditions and the relevant side effects,
- Lack of patient compliance
What are recommended to the patients while on medication?What are recommended to the patients while on medication?
Patients:
- The drug should be administered in the right way, at the right time intervals, in the right dose and uninterruptedly for the specified period of time.
- The patient should not stop taking the drug at their sole discretion if they feel well.
- The physician should be informed accordingly if the drug taken is no use.İlaçtan yarar görmüyorsa doktorunu haberdar etmelidir.
- Reminders should be set to avoid missing taking the drug.
- The patient should not forget that the medicine good for anyone else may harm them.
Where should the drugs be stored?
The drugs should be stored as specified in the instructions for use. Unless otherwise stated, it is recommended to store the drugs in a cool and dry place not exposed to direct sunlight. Some drugs, on the other hand, need to be stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of +4oC. Drugs that should be kept in the refrigerator should never be stored in the freezer and must not be frozen..
Would it be right to collect unfinished drug doses at home for use in other patients?
Since the storage conditions of the drugs will not be known after they leave the hospital and pharmacy environment, the effectiveness of the drugs may decrease, their stability may deteriorate, and even toxic effects may occur upon use. For this reason, it is not appropriate to reuse drugs in order to protect public health.
What should be asked to the physician and/or the pharmacist before starting to use the drug?
- How will I prepare the medicine? (such as diluting, leaving into water, shaking)
- How should I use the medicine?
- At what times of the day/how many times during the day will I use the drug?
- How many days will my medication last?
- Should I avoid any food or drink while on medication?