<cdf@infomed.sld.cu>
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E-drug: Re: Drugs and Therapeutics Committees (1)
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Dear E-Druggers:
In Cuba the Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committees (PTC) have been created in
every hospital and Primary Care Areas as a ministerial policy.
Our experience is 8 years working in PTC in Joaquin Albarran teaching
hospital of 900 beds, which has all specialities except obstetrics and
gynecology.
The PTC is a multi-specialist team which advises therapeutic decisions to
the Hospital's Directorate. Its main goal is the achievement of optimal drug
use.
We started our work identifying the main health problems which require the
patient's treatment in Emergency Wards and many are admitted into the
hospital.
We have worked on 5 policies in drug use:
ANTIBIOTICS
ANTIHYPERTENSIVES
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGICAL DRUGS
CORTICOSTEROIDS
CYTOSTATICS
These pharmacological groups were selected because they were frequently
used by different Hospital Services. These policies were established with
the following selection criteria:
efficacy
safety
costs
In our specific situation we had to foresee an important criteria of
availability, taking into account the various economical problems of our
country, which sometimes prevent us from using the recommended treatment for
some diseases.
We have some policies which are in discussion now.
In September we'll start a post-graduate course for Intensive Care Units
about the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (Myocardial Infarction,
Hypertensive Emergency, Angina, etc) as we have detected, through our work,
a clinical misuse of thrombolysis, though drugs with demonstrated
efficacy are available in our hospital, and also other difficulties in long
term therapy of ischemic cardiopathy and hypertension.
The PTC also relates to other committees in the hospital, such as the
Infectious Disease Committee, Clinical Epidemiology Committee, etc, which
allows us to improve our work.
We intend to establish a Therapeutic Consultation, organised and headed by
PTC.
All these activities we are developing are co-ordinated and supervised by
Pharmacoepidemiology Development Centre, which assesses PTC and also offers
scientific information as part of the Hospital Pharmacoepidemiology Net.
This work is also gaining importance in Primary Care areas.
Apologies for long posting.
Dr Miriam Cires, Master in Pharmacoepidemiology
Frank Debesa, Ms Sc.
Dr Ana Rodriguez
Scientific Information
Pharmacoepidemiology Development Centre
44 No. 502
esq 5a Ave
Miramar,Playa
Havana CUBA
CP 11300
FAX: (537) 24 7227
PHONE: (537) 24 0924
E_MAIL: cdf@infomed.sld.cu
[Note from moderator: Impressive! You seem to be as enthusiastic as I was
when I was a hospital pharmacist and secretary to the DTC. And enthusiasm is
very important in making DTCs function and obtain results! KM]
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