Controlling medical errors related to drug prescriptions

Adequate supply and safe prescription of drugs

The founding congress of the Vietnam Hospital Pharmacists Association was held on the morning of August 10 in Hanoi and elected Dr. Cao Hung Thai, former Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management ( Ministry of Health ), as the association's president.

PHOTO: LE HAO

Speaking at the congress, Associate Professor Le Van Truyen, former Deputy Minister of Health , Head of the campaign to establish the Vietnam Hospital Pharmacists Association, noted that the situation of buying and selling drugs without prescription, patients using drugs themselves, and abusing antibiotics has been recorded for many years.

Along with that, the situation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and hospital-acquired infections, the phenomenon of unnecessary overuse of drugs, and the rate of medical errors related to prescription, indication and use of drugs are still problems in treatment facilities and in drug use habits and behaviors among the people.

This reality requires that in the coming time, hospital pharmacy and clinical pharmacy activities in Vietnam need to be more strongly and effectively implemented.

Congratulating the success of the congress, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Xuan Tuyen suggested that the Vietnam Hospital Pharmacists Association should participate in developing and reviewing legal policies and professional regulations, organizing information and propaganda activities, disseminating policies, laws and professional regulations to members; developing and promulgating professional guidelines and pharmaceutical technical procedures as a basis for the safe, reasonable and effective supply and use of drugs in medical facilities.

Mr. Cao Hung Thai said that the Vietnam Hospital Pharmacists Association has signed cooperation agreements with universities and hospitals to implement professional training activities and scientific seminars to improve the effectiveness of safe and rational use of drugs; scientific research to provide evidence, form models of pharmacy management, management of good drug supply and use, clinical pharmacy models in treatment facilities; research on the application of technology and AI in drug use management. In particular, it will participate in implementing activities to enhance the safe and rational use of drugs, reducing the risk of drug resistance in treatment.

According to a report published in 2022, at a provincial hospital, the rate of inappropriate initial antibiotic regimens was 35.8%, and the majority of patients had their treatment regimens changed after antibiotic susceptibility testing results (64.9%) due to lack of improvement or worsening of the disease.