Improving Injectable Medicines Prescription in Outpatient Services: A Path Towards Rational Use of Medicines in Iran

Injection is one of the most common medical procedures in the health sector. Annually up to ۱۶ billion injections are prescribed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), many of them are not necessary for the patients, increase the healthcare costs and may result in side effects. Currently over ۴۰% of outpatient prescriptions in Iran contain at least one injectable medicine. To address the issue, a working group was established (August ۲۰۱۴ to April ۲۰۱۵) to provide a comprehensive policy brief to be used by national decision-makers. This report is the extract of methods that were followed and the main policy options for improving injectable medicines prescribing in outpatient services. Thirty-three potential policy options were developed focusing on different stakeholders. The panel reached consensus on seven policy options, noting effectiveness, cost, durability, and feasibility of each policy. The recommended policy options are targeted at patients and public (۲ policies), insurers (۲), physicians (۱), pharmacies (۱), and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME) (۱).

کلیدواژه ها:

Injectable Medicines ، Outpatient Services ، Prescribing ، Rational Use of Medicines ، Policy Brief