Annual Report 2002 - Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy: Supporting Countries to Close the Access Gap: Oman: improving antibiotic use in primary health care

Annual Report 2002 - Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy: Supporting Countries to Close the Access Gap
(2003; 20 pages) [French] [Spanish]

Table des matières

	Developing a monitoring culture to improve impact
	Traditional and complementary medicine: putting policy into action
	Key country support in Africa and Eastern Mediterranean
	WHO Collaborating Centres: supplying active support for medicines work
	How is TRIPS affecting access to medicines?
	Development of the essential drugs concept over the past 25 years
	Measuring access to antimalarials
	Strengthening regional and national bulk procurement
	Learning from successful supply systems
	Working out the cost of medicines
	Supporting MDG target on access to essential medicines
	Common guideline for evaluating new medicines in Baltic countries
	NGO toolkit for improving access to HIV/AIDS treatment
	Harmonizing medicines regulation in the Americas
	Good manufacturing practice in China: rapid progress
	Pharmacovigilance: detecting and reporting adverse drug reactions
	Variations in prescribing information in 26 countries
	10^th ICDRA: an international basis for medicines regulation
	Fighting poor-quality drugs
	Improving medicines use in hospitals in Cambodia and Lao PDR
	WHO-India Essential Drugs Programme: multiplying impact
	Oman: improving antibiotic use in primary health care

Oman: improving antibiotic use in primary health care

With assistance from WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, the Department of Rational Drug Use in Oman conducted a national survey of antibiotic use. It identified inappropriate use in primary health care (PHC) centres in particular. A pilot study was thereafter conducted at the Muscat Health Centre to develop a national tool for improving antibiotic use. The study was conducted over six months and covered use of three antibiotics in two dosage forms. Doctors were encouraged to read selected scientific materials about evidence-based use of antibiotics for the most common clinical conditions encountered in PHC practice. Simultaneously, they were monitored, evaluated and informed about any nonconformity observed between their prescriptions and the evidence-based materials they had been given.

At the end of the study, a 53% reduction in the consumption of antibiotics was observed. The six-month follow-up period showed a similar antibiotic consumption trend. A similar approach for reducing antibiotic consumption in other PHC centres will accordingly be incorporated into the 2003 national annual plan for promoting rational use of antibiotics.

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