Dear E-druggers,
We recently had a webinar with ISIUM, the International Society to Improve the Use of Medicines (https://isium.org/about-isium/)
We discussed a list of tools and documents on the Rational Use of Medicines that I shared with WHO (hoping they can put those again on the WHO website)
Also I attach a tool on assessing country implementation of a national program to promote Rational Use of Medicines.
These documents and links might be useful for E-Druggers!
PS: the next ISIUM Conference is scheduled for 10-21 November 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal:
https://isium.org/events/isium-conference-kathmandu-2026/
Save the Dates!
Regards,
Kathy Holloway
Core publications on rational use of medicines, suggested for WHO website and WHO resource packs for AMR and Rational use of medicines
All documents/articles are either WHO publications or open access publications based on data collected by WHO.
- How to Measure Medicines Use and Implementation of Drug Policy
World Health Organisation (1993), How to investigate drug use in health facilities: selected drug use indicators; WHO/DAP/93.1, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/60519
World Health Organisation (2004), How to investigate the use of medicines by consumers; WHO/EDM/PAR/2004.2, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/68840
World Health Organisation (2004), Drug and Therapeutic Committees: a practical guide, WHO/EDM Geneva, WHO/EDM/PAR/2004.1, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/68553
World Health Organisation (2007), WHO operational package for assessing, monitoring and evaluating country pharmaceutical situations: guide for coordinators and data collectors; WHO/TCM/2007.2, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/69927
WHO Training online materials: participants’ guide, teachers’ guide, teaching slides [not referenced in IRIS archive BUT A REALLY IMPORTANT RESOURCE].
- Promoting the rational use of drugs (in primary care); English/French
- Promoting the rational use of medicines in the community; English/Spanish
- Drug and Therapeutic Committees (hospital drug use); English/French
- The State of Medicines Use and Intervention/Policy Implementation
World Health Organisation (2009), “Community-based surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance in resource-constrained settings”, World Health Organisation, Geneva, WHO/EMP/MAR/2009.2. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/70036
World Health Organisation (2009), “Medicine use in primary health care in developing and transitional countries: factbook summarising results from studies reported between 1990 and 2006”, World Health Organisation, Geneva, WHO/EMP/MAR/2009.3. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/70032
Holloway KA, Ivanovska I, Wagner AK, Vialle-Valentin C, Ross-Degnan R, (2013) “Have we improved use of medicines in developing countries and do we know how to? Two decades of evidence” Tropical Medicine and International Health; 18(6): 656-664. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12123
Holloway KA, van Dijk L, (2011), World Health Organization. “The World Medicines Situation 2011 (Third Edition), Rational Use of Medicines”. WHO/EMP/MIE/2011.2.2. WHO, Geneva, Switzerland. [not referenced in iris archive] https://scispace.com/pdf/rational-use-of-medicines-25oyzt2xlf.pdf
World Health Organisation (2006), “Using indicators to measure country pharmaceutical situations: factbook on WHO level I and level II monitoring indicators”; WHO/TCM/2006.2, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/354554
World Health Organisation (2010), “Country pharmaceutical situations: factbook on WHO level I indicators 2007”; WHO/EMO/MPC/2010.1 [not referenced in iris archive] https://dumaic.org/download/country-pharmaceutical-situations-fact-book-on-who-level-1-indicators-2007/
International conferences on improving the use of medicines (ICIUM) 1999, 2004, 2011 [no longer available online].
International meetings on improving the use of medicines organised by the International Society for Improving the use of medicines 2020 and 2023. https://isium.org
- Interventions to improve use medicines & antibiotic use
World Health Organisation (1994), Guide to Good Prescribing; WHO/DAP/94.11. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/59001
World Health Organisation (2001), Teacher’s Guide to Good Prescribing; WHO/EDM/PAR/2001.2. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/67010
World Health Organisation, (2002), How to develop and implement a national drug policy; Policy Perspectives on Medicines no.6, WHO/EDM/2002.5, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/67759
World Health Organisation, (2002), Selection of essential medicines; Policy Perspectives on Medicines no.4, WHO/EDM/2002.2, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/67375
World Health Organisation, (2002), Promoting the rational use of medicines: core components; Policy Perspectives on Medicines no.5, WHO/EDM/2002.3, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/67438
World Health Organisation, (2005), Containing antimicrobial resistance; Policy Perspectives on Medicines no.10, WHO/PSM/2005.1, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/69036
World Health Organisation (2004), Drug Promotion: what we know, what we have yet to learn; WHO/EDM/PAR/2004.3, Geneva. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/69177
World Health Organisation (2007), How to improve the use of medicines by consumers; WHO Geneva 2007. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/69681
WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, WHO, Geneva.
Rowe AK, Rowe SY, Peters DH, Holloway KA, Chalker J, Ross-Degnan D (2018). “Effectiveness of strategies to improve health-care provider practices in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review.” Lancet Global Health; 6(11): e1163-75.
Rowe SY, Peters DH, Holloway KA, Ross-Degnan D, Rowe AK. (2021). The effectiveness of training strategies to improve healthcare provider practices in low- and middle-income countries. BMJ Global Health; 6:e003229. https://doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003229
Rowe SY, Peters DH, Holloway KA, Ross-Degnan D, Rowe AK. (2022). The effectiveness of supervision strategies to improve healthcare provider practices in low- and middle-income countries: secondary analysis of a systematic review. Human Resources for Health; 20:1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00683-z
- Evidence for essential medicines policy impact on medicines & antibiotic use
Holloway KA, Henry D, (2014) “WHO Essential Medicines Policies and Use in Developing and Transitional Countries: an analysis of reported policy implementation and medicines use surveys” PLOS Medicine, 11(9): e1001724. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001724
Holloway KA, Rosella L, Henry D. (2016) The Impact of WHO Essential Medicines Policies on Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics. PLoS ONE; 11(3): e0152020. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152020
Holloway KA, Kotwani A, Batmanabane G, Puri M, Tisocki K. (2017) Antibiotic use in South-East Asia and policies to promote appropriate use: reports from country situational analyses. BMJ; 358: j2291: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j2291
Holloway KA, Kotwani A, Batmanabane G, Santoso B, Ratanawijitrasin S, Henry D (2018). “Promoting quality use of medicines in South-East Asia: reports from country situational analyses”. BMC Health Services Research; 18:526. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3333-1.
Holloway KA, Ivanovska V, Manikandan S, Jayanthi M, Mohan A, Forte G, Henry D (2020). “Identifying the most effective essential medicines policies for quality use of medicines: a replicability study using three World Health Organisation data-sets”. PLoS ONE 15(2): e0228201, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228201.
Holloway KA, Henry D (2025). “Identifying the most effective policies for minimising inappropriate use of antibiotics: a replicability study using three WHO datasets”. Health Policy 155 (2025) 105269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.10569. [not yet open access]
- Resolutions on Rational Use of Medicines
Rational use of drugs, Conference of Nairobi. WHO 1985.
Progress in the rational use of medicines WHA60.16, WHO 2007 Geneva.
(Attachment Holloway-proposed-RUMresources-for-website.docx is missing)
(Attachment NatRUMprog-measurement-29May2025.docx is missing)