Klin Farmakol Farm. 2006;20(4):219-222

Drug utilization study methodologies

Blanka Kořístková, Milan Grundmann

Ústav klinické farmakologie FNsP a ZSF Ostravské univerzity, Ostrava

Drug utilization expresses the exposition to a drug in the relationship to a given population group, in a given period and in a certain socio-economical background.

The volumes of the drugs distributed and of the prescription drugs issued are available on the national level. The amount of drugs issued on request forms in a certain medical institution is available on the local level. The utilization of non-prescription drugs is available in a local pharmacy. It is also possible to study the number of prescriptions according to the patient’s documentation.

Drug utilization may be expressed in numbers of packages, prescribed daily doses, defined daily doses (DDDs), patients, prescriptions or in costs. To make the comparison possible, it is important to use standard methodology – ATC/DDD, that is recommended by the World Health Organization, and recalculate the results to 1000 inhabitants (insureds) and a day in wholesale data (health insurance data), in medical institutions to 100 bed days or possibly to a patient.

DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day of a drug used for its main indication in adults. The utilization in DDD represents the exposition of individual substances, or possibly ATC units. DDD may not always reflect the actual prescribed daily dose in a given population. Drug utilization expressed in numbers of packages enables a correction for drugs without DDD (e.g. dermatologics). The costs provide information on the importance of the drug from an economical point of view.

Anatomical-therapeutic-chemical (ATC) system classifies drugs at five levels according to the organ or system on which they act and/or their therapeutic and chemical characteristics. The classification according to indication groups, used in the Czech Republic earlier, has only local character.

The State Institute for Drug Control provides on its web pages the conversion indexes from packages to the defined daily doses and ATC groups.

Keywords: Key words: utilization, ATC/DDD, prescribed daily dose, number of packages, costs, methodology.

Published: February 1, 2007  Show citation