Irrational Use of Drugs – A Review

Abstract

Everybody wants to get success in their life but on the cost of their health. Due to that the chances of irrationality of drugs increase in which self-medication is one of the major cause. The basic principle for the rational use of drug is better supply of drugs, better prescribing and lower costs for health care. When the basic principle of rational use of drugs is not fulfill it leads to irrationality which further leads to adverse effects and toxicity. There are number of factors which contributes to irrationality either they are inter-related to each other or they directly have affects and it may cause some effects on health and economic consequences. There is a cycle for rational use of medicine which help the clinician to prescribe the appropriate drug for appropriate disease condition, if each step is followed appropriately the irrationality improves. The concept of "rational use of medicine" can at times be confusing and not easily appreciated by patients, healthcare providers, policy makers, or the public, all of whom needs to collaborate effectively to address this challenge and the policy makers should be need to update with current trends.

Barriers to rational antibiotic prescription in Iran: a descriptive qualitative study

“…Study findings showed that some sociocultural factors such as public limited knowledge, habitual use of antibiotics, and patients' insistence on antibiotic prescription contributed to IRAP. Medication prescription is a complex process affected by sociocultural factors [29] such as patients' educational level, expectations, and previous experiences of medication use [41]. The physicians' paternalistic approach in healthcare systems in Iran, their ineffective communication with pharmacologists and other healthcare providers, and their tendency towards satisfying their patients are among the most important factors contributing to IRAP [42].…”