E-drug: Essential diagnostics programme (cont'd)
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Dear E-druggers,
Dr Londsdale's concern regarding clinical skills training should be seen
as part of the continuum of rational patient care. Rational use of drug
is part of this continuum. The process of rational patient care begins
at the first encounter with the patient when a doctor has to make an
assessment of the patient's problems and needs and prescribing a
management recipe (pharmacological and non-pharmacological)
followed by evaluation of the outcome of the intervention and review
and revision of the management recipe if necessary.
In general the above skills should have been taught at the medical
school. These skills can be 'kept alive' by participating in continuous
medical education activities and attending refresher courses. I believe
rational use of drugs was given special attention because relatively
therapeutics is a more dynamic discipline which demands prescribers
to keep abreast with its development constantly bearing in mind the
dictum "if you cannot make the patient better, do not make him
worse".
Abdul Rahman Noor
School of Medical Sciences
USM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan
Malaysia
e-mail: arnoor@kb.usm.my
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