RPM Plus Work with DTCs
In keeping with its objective to improve pharmaceutical management worldwide, RPM Plus has developed training materials for a DTC course. The sessions are designed to stimulate the creation of DTCs in hospitals, improve the function of existing committees, and train locally based staff to teach the course to others.
The training series emphasizes the technical aspects of a DTC, including drug selection for the formulary; management of pharmaceutical expenditures; identifying prescribing, dispensing, administration, and use problems; and implementing interventions to improve the use of medicines. Participants are expected to learn practical approaches to formulary management and techniques for promoting the effective, safe, and cost-effective use of medicines.
RPM Plus DTC Course: The Sessions
Each RPM Plus DTC training course is highly participatory, and the exchange of experiences and ideas among participants adds depth to the learning process. Over a period of several days, participants are exposed to a wide range of international training materials and experiences.
RPM Plus DTC course sessions include—
- Drug and Therapeutics Committee Overview
- Developing and Maintaining a Formulary
- Assessing Drug Efficacy
- Assessing and Managing Drug Safety
- Drug Quality Assurance
- Evaluating the Cost of Pharmaceuticals
- Identifying Problems with Drug Use [PDF - 63 KB], Quantitative Methods (including an introduction to the MSH manual How to Investigate Antimicrobial Drug Use in Hospitals: Selected Indicators)
- Understanding the Problems Associated with Drug Use—Qualitative Methods
- Strategies to Improve Drug Use—Overview
- Standard Treatment Guidelines [PDF - 377 KB]
- Drug Use Evaluation
- Infection Control for the DTC
- Workplan Development
- Field Study
A central part of the course is the development of DTC workplans. Participants receive assistance in developing comprehensive plans for starting or improving their local DTCs. RPM Plus staff provide feedback on these plans as well as follow-up technical assistance to help participants implement the plans over the ensuing months.
Former participants Atieno Ojoo [PDF - 26 KB] of Kenya and Mariam Cassimjee [PDF - 40 KB] of South Africa have provided their workplans as examples of work produced during the course. Their plans were produced at the 2001 International DTC Course in Nairobi, Kenya. The practical design of their workplans has allowed them to improve the functionality of their local DTCs and to measure their progress.
DTC training also includes a field study component, during which participants have the opportunity to apply the skills they have learned. Visiting local hospitals, participants identify problems in drug selection, procurement, and prescribing and formulate recommendations to decrease or eliminate these problems. The field study allows participants to gain direct experience in the role of the DTC. Participants' findings and their recommendations are presented during the course and to the hospitals visited.
< Previous Next >
