Table 3 Comparison of the proportion (%) of countries that attained a particular policy or indicator for rational use of medicines in low, mid and high income countries in 2007 [45]

1. Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG)

89%

75%

80%

2. Essential Medicines list (EML):

100%

86%

68%

 • EML-Updated in <5 years

81%

74%

41%

3. Drug Therapeutics Committees (DTC):

38%

58%

74%

4. Prescribing policy or supervision/monitor prescribing

 i) Prescribers at primary care level in public sector

  • Doctors

98%

99%

100%

  • Nurses

89%

60%

66%

  • Pharmacists

37%

16%

3%

  • Other

23%

9%

0%

 ii) Policy on generic medicines in public sector

  • Obligatory use of generics

63%

62%

18%

  • Generic substitution allowed

85%

87%

77%

  • Incentives for prescribing generics

48%

26%

67%

 iii) Prescriptions audit

39%

46%

71%

 iv) Strategy for AMR containment

24%

46%

73%

5. Education and Training in CP: undergraduate and post graduate education (Includes training on EML, STG, pharmacotherapy & Rational prescribing)

  • Doctors

62 ± 3.7%

73 ± 7.1%

88 ± 17.4%

  • Nurses

58 ± 10.8

57 ± 3.0%

73 ± 6.0%

  • Pharmacists

62 ± 11.5%

60 ± 6.7%

80 ± 13.3%

  • Other

33 ± 5.3%

32 ± 6.2%

36 ± 5.3%

6. Continuing Medical Education (CME): Obligatory CME for:

  • Doctors

51%

54%

70%

  • Nurses + paramedics

53%

44%

65%

  • Pharmacists

56%

51%

57%

7. Provision of information on Medicines:

  • Med. Information Centres

36%

52%

75%

  • Medicines formulary

57%

69%

70%

8. Public/Consumer education and information on medicines

  • Education campaigns (A/biotic use)

44%

52%

62%

  • Other rational medicine use topics

60%

56%

73%

9. Medicine promotion & advertising:

  • Regulate Drug prom/advertisement

85%

86%

100%