CUTTACK: Irrational prescribing not only affects patient compliance owing to rise in number of medicines but also increases financial burden as well as leads to problems like antibiotic resistance, said dean and principal of SCB medical college and hospital Prof Prasanjit Mohanty while addressing a one-day workshop on ‘Rational use of medicines: Emphasising the role of standard treatment guideline (STG)’.
The workshop was organised by the department of Pharmacology, in collaboration with Community Development Medicinal Unit (Odisha) at the IMA house here on Tuesday. “Rational use of medicines requires patients to receive medications appropriate to their clinical needs in doses that meet their own individual requirements for an adequate period of time at the lowest cost,” said head of the Pharmacology department Prof Trupti Rekha Swain while explaining the importance of STG.
The programme encompassed speakers from different clinical backgrounds as well as pharmacologists who dwelt upon the need to prescribe not only effectively but also rationally. Considering the Health department’s focus on rationality of prescribing, the workshop had sessions on modalities of prescription for geriatric, paediatric and patients on anti psychotic drugs.
In line with recent guideline of the Health department, where the doctors have been asked to mention the reason for prescribing antibiotics, the participants noted the workshop would go a long way in curbing rampant use of unnecessary medicines. Besides, there was a panel discussion where participants freely asked questions to subject experts and received adequate clarity on various modalities of rational prescription. Post-graduate students and faculty of various medical colleges of Odisha participated in the workshop.