There are 15 principles of pharmacotherapy they are:
1. There should be a justifiable and documented indication for every
medication that is used.
2. A medication should be used at the lowest dosage and for the
shortest duration that is likely to achieve the desired outcome.
3. When a patient is adequately treated with a single drug, monother-
apy is preferred.
4. Newly approved medications should be used only if there are
clear advantages over older medications.
5. Whenever possible, the selection of a medication regimen
should be based upon evidence obtained from controlled clinical
trials.
6. The timing of drug administration should be considered as a pos-
sible influence on drug efficacy, adverse effects, and interactions
with other drugs and food.
7. A medication regimen should be simplified as much as possible
to enhance patient adherence.
8. A patient’s perception of illness or the risks and benefits of therapy
may affect adherence and treatment outcomes.
9. Careful observation of a patient’s response to treatment is nec-
essary to confirm efficacy, prevent, detect, or manage adverse
effects, assess compliance, and determine the need for dosage
adjustment or discontinuation of drug therapy.
10. A medication should not be given by injection when giving it by
mouth would be just as effective and safe.
11. Before medications are used, lifestyle modifications should be
made, when indicated, to obviate the need for drug therapy or to
enhance pharmacotherapy outcomes.
12. Initiation of a drug regimen should be done with full recognition
that a medication may cause a disease, sign, symptom, syndrome,
or abnormal laboratory test.
13. When a variety of drugs are equally efficacious and equally safe,
the drug that results in the lowest health care cost or is most
convenient for the patient should be chosen.
14. When making a decision about drug therapy for individual pa-
tients, societal effects should be considered.
15. The possible reasons for failure of medication regimens include
inappropriate drug selection, poor adherence, improper drug dose
or interval, misdiagnosis, concurrent illness, interactions with
foods or drugs, environmental factors, or genetic factors.
References:
Joseph T. DiPiro, PharmD, FCCP
Barbara G. Wells, PharmD, FASHP, FCCP, BCPP
David W. Hawkins, PharmD
August 13, 2001
Tags:
Pharmacy