Drug utilization

Drug utilization (DU) is defined as an authorized, structured, ongoing review of prescribing, dispensing and use of medication. It is a process of appraising and reconsidering the usage of drugs to determine the effectiveness of drug treatment. DU encompasses a drug review against predetermined criteria that results in changes to drug therapy when these criteria are not met. It involves a comprehensive review of patients prescription and medication data before, during and after dispensing to ensure appropriate medication decision-making and positive patient outcomes.  As a quality assurance measure, DUR programs provide corrective action, prescriber feedback and further evaluations. DUR is classified in three categories:

•          Prospective- evaluation of a patients drug therapy before medication is dispensed
•          Concurrent- ongoing monitoring of drug therapy during the course of treatment
•          Retrospective- review of drug therapy after the patient has received the medication.

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