The Saskatchewan program for rational drug therapy: effects on utilization of mood-modifying drugs

In 1978, the Joint Committee on Drug Utilization (JCDU) was appointed by the Saskatchewan Minister of Health to identify and analyze concerns related to drug use and to recommend appropriate methods for dealing with such concerns. Emphasis was placed on the quality of healthcare in the province and on the provision of information as a basis for education of the public and health professionals. Since 1978, 14 committee reports providing drug utilization statistics and specific recommendations for improving drug therapy have been distributed to Saskatchewan health professionals. The main focus has been on utilization studies of "mood-modifying" drugs (analgesics, minor and major tranquilizers, sedative/hypnotics, stimulants, and antidepressants). The JCDU initiated a program whereby drug profiles of certain patients were released to selected health professionals. Individuals who received daily doses in excess of JCDU guidelines for mood-modifying drugs over a three-month period were categorized as extreme users. Patient medication profiles of their drug use were forwarded on a quarterly basis to physicians who prescribed and the primary pharmacy that dispensed mood-modifying drugs to these patients. From the time of the first profiles (October-December 1979) until 1983, there was a 15 percent decrease in the number of extreme users. Between 1977 and 1985, there was a decrease in the percentage of the overall population receiving any prescriptions for these drugs (from 20 to 17.4 percent).