Best practices and common challenges with implementing appropriate prescribing and use initiatives worldwide: A qualitative content analysis

Summary

Canada does not currently have a national strategy to address optimal prescribing of medications, however there are several initiatives across the country and worldwide aimed at improving appropriate prescribing of medications. The purpose of this study was to describe the various organizations that are conducting work in appropriate use (AU) to understand the types of strategies used to implement appropriate prescribing initiatives. This study has helped to inform Health Canada’s efforts to support a national conversation on the merits of a national strategy on safe and appropriate prescribing and use of drugs.

We carried out qualitative interviews and a document review to identify how organizations implement AU approaches, and the key barriers and facilitators to the implementation of AU approaches.

We found out that:

• Development and dissemination of guidelines and evidence summaries were the most commonly used AU approaches across national, regional, and locally-operating organizations and programs.
• Regulatory action was commonly used in regionally-operating groups. Use of educational materials was the predominant implementation strategy used by groups implementing AU approaches.
• Barriers and facilitators impacting the implementation of AU approaches had commonalities that were categorized into 10 factors influencing implementation success.

These factors informed the development of 23 recommendations for implementing AU approaches, based on actor and intervention type.

Project Resources

• Reseach Brief

Funded By

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN)