Outpatient irrational drug analysis should avoid unnecessary intravenous infusions, as seen in one case within the hospital prescription.
3 Discussion
3.1 Pediatric Use Should Be Noted: The survey found that children account for a relatively large proportion of irrational drug use. This is because children are in the stage of growth and development with system hypoplasia, requiring cautious use of drugs due to their lower tolerance. Certain banned drugs should not be administered to children. For instance, Mr. Lam's medication A has good antipyretic and analgesic effects but should be used cautiously for children under 12 years old. Improper use can lead to nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal irritation, and Reye syndrome if the child is suffering from influenza or chickenpox, which could result in severe cases. Children’s perception and presentation skills are not strong, making them more likely to experience adverse effects. Therefore, giving medication to children must be rigorous to avoid negatively impacting their growth and development.
3.2 Drug Combinations Must Avoid Incompatibility: Combination therapy improves efficacy, expands treatment access, or reduces adverse reactions. However, improper combinations may lead to reduced efficacy, increased toxicity, or other serious adverse reactions, even causing drug-induced diseases and death in severe cases. Therefore, drug combinations must be carefully considered, trying to understand the interactions between drugs. Blind combinations must be avoided.
3.3 Route of Drug Administration: Different routes of administration affect the speed and amount of drug absorption, effective concentration, pharmacological effects, strength, and sometimes even completely different roles in vivo. It is essential to be familiar with the characteristics of various drug administration routes. To administer medication appropriately, select the suitable route of administration according to the specific circumstances and needs of the patients, aiming to better play a therapeutic role.
Investigation and analysis revealed that the phenomenon of irrational drug use is quite common. This requires pharmacists to continuously learn and master the pharmacological effects, usage, dosage, common adverse reactions, contraindications, drug interactions, and related knowledge of various drugs well; actively communicate with clinical physicians, exploring mutually beneficial strategies; and clinicians should also enhance their learning of pharmaceutical knowledge. Together, they should ensure patient medication is safer, more reasonable, effective, and economical.