The development and implementation of a drug utilization review program

In response to rising drug expenditures and pressure from hospital administration to contain drug costs, the department of pharmaceutical services at The Mississauga Hospital initiated a Drug Utilization Review (DUR) Program. The main purpose of this program was to contain the escalating drug budget through identifying and correcting areas of drug misuse, without compromising the quality of patient care. This article will describe the procedures involved in developing and implementing such a DUR program at our hospital and our experience to date. Both structured and informal strategies have been implemented, which have identified factual and potential cost savings. Overall, the DUR program has been well accepted by the medical staff and hospital administration.