Drug newsletters and quality assurance of drug usage.
The use of a drug newsletter publishing results of drug usage review studies, as a quality assurance measure aimed at improving drug prescribing in an Australian acute care hospital, is described. Drug usage review studies focus primarily on newly registered drugs, drugs with potential for misuse or adverse reactions, and expensive drugs. Data are collected on comprehensive data sheets by clinical pharmacists. Information is supplemented from relevant sources, including laboratory test results. Feedback to prescribers, through the hospital's drug newsletter, presents review results, evaluated by comparison with predetermined standards for appropriateness, together with recommendations for improvement, where indicated. The reviews have highlighted areas in which prescribing could be improved. Studies have shown that the drug newsletter has a significant, but possibly transient, impact on modifying prescribing patterns. Newsletter messages are therefore reinforced by personalized clinical pharmacist interaction with prescribers.
D001315:Australia; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care