title: Target drug programs and medication use evaluation.
abstract: Target drug programs and medication use evaluations are activities that are undertaken to improve the correct use of drugs. These programs should focus on inappropriate drug use, drug use problems, optimizing use of drugs, and improving the level of patient care. To monitor the effects of the programs, several types of outcomes have been evaluated, such as economic and financial, clinical quality, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and collaborative practice. The methodology to classify and monitor drug use incorporates the classification system developed by the World Health Organization, which takes into account each drug's anatomic, therapeutic, and chemical classification. In order to avoid focusing only on drugs and drug costs in these programs, and to allow for monitoring the impact of the programs on clinical practice, linking drug data to patient data is stressed. Target drug programs improve the appropriate use of drugs, and by doing so, contribute to safe and rational use of drugs in society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Hekster
mesh_terms: D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D017723:Drug Utilization Review / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D005572:Formularies, Hospital as Topic; D006801:Humans; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014944:World Health Organization