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CADTH » News » CADTH welcomes Health Council of Canada's report on Prescribing Behaviours

CADTH welcomes Health Council of Canada's report on Prescribing Behaviours

October 31, 2007

Ottawa – Safe and Sound, Optimizing Prescribing Behaviours, a new report from the Health Council of Canada, makes an important contribution to the on-going dialogue in Canada regarding the optimal use of drugs, said Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jill Sanders.

Based on a June 2007 policy symposium organized by the Health Council of Canada, the report summarizes the positions of stakeholders and experts of a range of themes related to safe and effective use of pharmaceuticals. CADTH contributed to the policy symposium.

“By presenting what was heard from many different groups –– consumers, the research community, government and health care delivery organizations – Optimizing Prescribing Behaviours provides a valuable blueprint for future action to advance optimal prescribing in Canada,” said Sanders.

The report calls for further action in three areas:

  1. education and information for patients and prescribers, so that prescribing decisions are more likely to be safe and sound and patients are more likely to receive the most appropriate prescription;
  2. the policies and legislation that govern the Canadian medication-use system; and
  3. the electronic health record.

Barb Shea, Vice President of CADTH’s Canadian Optimal Medication Prescribing and Utilization Service (COMPUS) said “I am gratified that the report endorses the strategic direction we are taking with COMPUS, particularly since the report reflects the views of so many different groups. Coupled with the recent comments from Dr. Brian Day, President of the Canadian Medical Association – who referenced the ‘excellent preliminary work of COMPUS’, the Health Council’s report shows that we are on the right path.”

Shea also endorsed the report’s focus on academic detailing and patient and public education. She said that COMPUS has supported and will continue to support the work of academic detailing initiatives across Canada. The initiatives are important conduits for the dissemination of COMPUS work.

The report can be downloaded at http://www.healthcouncilcanada.ca/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=190&Itemid=10

For more information, visit www.cadth.ca
Janet Crain, Senior Communications Advisor
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health
Tel: (613) 226-2553 E-mail: janetc@cadth.ca

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) is a national body that provides Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial health care decision makers with credible, impartial advice and evidence-based information about the effectiveness and efficiency of drugs and other health technologies.

The Canadian Optimal Medication Prescribing and Utilization Service (COMPUS), funded by Health Canada, is a program of CADTH. COMPUS identifies and promotes evidence-based, clinical and cost-effectiveness information on optimal drug prescribing and use. User-friendly tools are provided to health care providers and consumers to encourage the use of this information.