Prescrire's Médicaments en Questions: First results of a practice improvement programme

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Safety
• Pharmacovigilance

Background:

• Healthcare professionals require continuous education to manage drug-related harms effectively.
• Adverse drug events pose significant risks to patient well-being and healthcare systems.
• Existing educational programs may not adequately address the practical management of drug harms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a distance-learning program on healthcare professionals' management of adverse drug effects.
• To enhance healthcare professionals' ability to identify and mitigate drug-related harms.
• To improve communication regarding adverse effects between professionals and with patients.

Main Methods:

• A reflexive, distance-learning program named "Medicines in Question" was implemented for subscribers.
• Participants engaged in self-assessment, knowledge updates, peer discussion, and strategy development.
• The program focused on understanding and managing the harmful effects of drug treatments.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated increased awareness and consideration of adverse drug effects.
• Fewer patients were exposed to drugs with unfavorable harm-benefit profiles.
• Improved communication occurred between healthcare professionals and with patients regarding adverse effects.
• Reporting of adverse effects to pharmacovigilance systems was encouraged and potentially increased.

Conclusions:

• The "Medicines in Question" program effectively improved healthcare professionals' practice regarding adverse drug effects.
• The reflexive learning approach fosters better patient safety by reducing drug-related harms.
• Enhanced professional and patient communication regarding adverse effects is a key outcome.