The Provision of Nursing Practicum to Promote Rational Drug Use

Abstract

The objective of this article is to guide the provision of nursing practicum to promote rational drug use.

Rational drug use is a process in which the patients receive the appropriate prescription, dosage, and relevant period for their health problems. However, in the Thai health system, it is found that irrational use of drugs is an essential problem that affects safe society, effective and efficient treatments, drug resistance, mortality, and medical expenditure. National drug policy and strategy for national drug system development should drive the development of the production system and health workforce for rational drug use. Therefore, the nursing profession should promote rational drug use in the nursing practicum. The competency of rational drug use includes: 1) setting pertinent learning outcomes to the competency of rational drug use, 2) preparing students by reviewing knowledge, principle, the essence of rational drug use, attitude, and drug using skills, 3) providing environment and resources that facilitate learning, 4) providing authentic learning of rational drug use including rational drug administration, review of drug incidence, multidisciplinary education, clinical teaching in nursing regarding rational drug use, and application of PLEASE key to rational drug use, and 5) evaluating study result of students according to learning outcomes.