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Levetiracetam （LEV） is the second generation of broad-spectrum anti-epileptic drug. LEV has the advantages of rapid absorption， short half-life， precise efficacy， good tolerance and few drug interactions. In order to improve the clinical efficacy of LEV， and reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions， children， pregnant women， the elderly， and patients with renal insufficiency should receive therapeutic drug monitoring （TDM）. Clinically， the samples are usually plasma or serum， and the TDM methods are mostly immunoassay or chromatography. There is currently no consensus on the effective concentration range of LEV， and the correlation between plasma concentration and adverse reactions is also unclear. The main factors affecting LEV plasma concentration include age， pregnancy， and patient compliance. How to interpret TDM results and adjust dosage based on the results will be the focus of future work.
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Recommendations for Chinese patent medicine （CPM） based on key information on rational drug use are one of the important conditions for enhancing guideline enforceability as well as facilitating guideline implementation. In this study， we discussed in detail of the key information on the rational use of CPM in five aspects， which are dosage， drug discontinuation， drug-drug and drug-food interactions， safety and economy. Following the process of multi-source search， synthesis and prioritization， it is suggested to collect key information on the rational use of CPM from a multi-source search of drug instructions， policy documents， literature， and clinical experts' experiences. Then the searched information should be summarized and prioritized with the principle that taking drug instructions as the basis and other-sources information for check and supplementation. Finally， methodological recommendations for the retrieval and synthesis of key information on rational drug use in guideline recommendations has been formed.
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OBJECTIVE To explore the whole-process pharmaceutical care model of iodine contrast medium and promote the rational clinical use of iodine contrast medium. METHODS Clinical Professional Committee on Rational Drug Use of China Medical Education Association and Expert Committee on Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research of Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association organized domestic experts to establish a working group on the Consensus on the whole-process pharmaceutical care for iodine contrast medium. The working group conducted literature searches， evidence-based analysis， and discussions on the development process， indications， contraindications， adverse drug reactions， drug interactions， drug use for special population， pharmaceutical care， and other key topics to summarize the content and process of the whole-process pharmaceutical care for iodine contrast medium. This consensus was ultimately formed. RESULTS The consensus on whole-process pharmaceutical care for iodine contrast medium included an evaluation of the patient， renal function， combined drug use， and hydration regimen before examination， the presence of contrast agent extravasation or suspected acute adverse reactions during examination， observation time points and follow-up after examination， and the presentation of specific work in each stage through pharmaceutical care flowchart. The medication monitoring record form was also formed to record the work situation. CONCLUSIONS The consensus has established a whole-process pharmaceutical care system for iodine contrast medium， providing scientific evidence for clinical physicians and nursing staff in the rational use of such special drugs， and also serving as a reference for pharmacists in providing related pharmaceutical care.
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The irrational use of Chinese patent medicines （CPM） is becoming more and more prominent， which makes the demand for clinical practice guidelines of CPM gradually increase. In order to make domestic scholars understand the latest developments and existing problems of the CPM guidelines， and promote its development， this paper introduced the concept of CPM guidelines， summarized the characteristics of the two development modes， namely “taking CPM as the key” and “taking disease/syndrome as the key”， and analyzed the current methodological status of developing and reporting CPM guidelines. Based on the existed problems， three suggestions have been put forward to optimize the quality of CPM guidelines， which were clarifying the target users and scope of CPM guidelines， establishing an open and transparent mechanism of the personnel involvement and process steps， and formulating implementable and operable recommendations for the use of CPM.
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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine older individuals' rational drug use behavior, their knowledge of rational drug use, and the factors affecting it. METHODS: This study was conducted cross-sectionally with 440 patients aged 65 years who received inpatient treatment in internal medicine and surgery clinics between October 2021 and November 2022 using a Rational Drug Use Scale and rational drug use behavior questions. RESULTS: The findings showed that the mean age of older adults was 72.56±5.84 years, and 51.8% were men. It was determined that 79.1% of the older adults did not check their expiration date before using the medicines, and 85.9% of them retained the remaining medicines after treatment. Results indicated that 77.3% of older adults knew less about rational drug use. Additionally, a significant difference was observed between older adults' marital status, educational status, possession of outdated drugs at home, self-use of antibiotics without examination, and mean score on the Rational Drug Use Scale (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results showed that the rational drug use knowledge level of older adults was low and that there were differences in the knowledge levels of rational drug use according to certain behaviors and factors.
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Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the commonly encountered infections and a large number of drugs are indicated in UTI ranging from oral conventional drugs to most advanced injectable drugs. Cost-minimization analysis (CMA) is employed to project the least costly drug when two treatments are shown to be therapeutic equivalents. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to perform a CMA at a tertiary care center to determine the least expensive drug for UTI and to project a cheapest alternative from available options based on the results of CMA. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over duration of 3 months in the clinical departments on patients diagnosed to have UTI and prescribed empirical antimicrobial treatment. The approval of Institutional Ethics Committee was sought before beginning the study. Pattern of drug prescription and average cost incurred in the treatment of patients with empirical antimicrobial therapy was calculated. CMA included the projection of the least expensive drug based on average cost incurred per patient in outpatients and inpatients respectively. Results: A total of 59 patients of UTI given empirical treatment were included in the study. Fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins were commonly used drugs for empirical treatment of UTI. Nitrofurantoin (average cost of 11–14 Rs. per patient) can be projected as the cheapest drug for empirical treatment of UTI on outpatient basis as well as a drug to supplement injectables in indoor patients. Injectable ciprofloxacin can be projected as the most inexpensive alternative for empirical treatment of UTI in patients of the inpatient department. Conclusion: Nitrofurantoin for oral treatment and ciprofloxacin in injectable form are cheapest among available alternatives for empirical treatment of UTI. To prevent treatment failures and increase in cost of treatment, correlation of results of CMA with local antimicrobial sensitivity pattern is important.
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OBJECTIVE To quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the progress of potentially inappropriate medication （PIM） research by means of bibliometrics， and to predict the hotspots and trends of PIM， so as to provide reference for PIM research in China. METHODS The research literature related to PIM were searched from Web of Science core database， and the publication trend of the literature was analyzed on the bibliometric online analysis platform and CiteSpace 5.8.R3 software. The research results were visualized and analyzed， and the research hotspots of PIM were summarized through gCLUTO. RESULTS About PIM research， the annual number of the literature issued from 2012 to 2021 showed a continuous growth trend totally； the United States had the largest number of literature （241 pieces）； the University of Sydney in Australia was the research institution with the largest number of literature （59 pieces）； O’Mahony D from University College Cork， Ireland， published the most literature （23 pieces）； the research of PIM involved 57 disciplines， among which there was the largest number of literature about gerontology （384 pieces）； International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy was the journal with the largest number of literature （61 pieces）； Journal of the American Geriatrics Society was cited most frequently （1 197 times）. The hotspots of PIM research mainly focused on seven aspects： the standard of PIM， the safety and economy research of PIM， the risk factors research of PIM， the PIM research of chronic patients， the PIM research of antipsychotics， the research of pharmacists’ participation in PIM management， and the PIM research about palliative care of tumor patients. CONCLUSIONS The heat of research on PIM has been on the rise， and there is little cooperation between countries and institutions， and more cooperation is needed. In the future， the focus of Chinese pharmacists’ research on PIM may be on the deep localization of PIM standards， PIM intervention and precise medication guidance， and PIM management of specific diseases and drugs.
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OBJECTIVE To establish evaluation criteria for rational drug use of atosiban in clinic， and to provide reference for rational drug use of atosiban in clinic. METHODS Based on the drug instructions of atosiban acetate injection and related guidelines， the experts of the Evaluation Group of Rational Drug Use formulated the evaluation criteria of rational drug use， including 5 primary indexes and 8 secondary indexes. The weight coefficients of secondary indexes were calculated by analytic hierarchy process （AHP）， and the use of atosiban acetate injection in 190 pregnant women from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University （referred to as “our hospital”） was evaluated retrospectively by technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution （TOPSIS）. The evaluation results were divided into three levels including reasonable， basic reasonable and unreasonable application based on the relative approach degree. RESULTS Among 190 pregnant women， 49 （25.8%） were treated with atosiban reasonably， 39 （20.5%） were treated with atosiban basic reasonably， and 102 （53.7%） were treated with atosiban unreasonably. The evaluation results obtained by AHP-TOPSIS method were consistent with the actual situation in clinic. The main problems of the unreasonably use were super indications， unreasonable usage and dosage， over the course of treatment and the lack of proper economic consideration. CONCLUSIONS The rationality evaluation criteria of atosiban’s clinical application are established by AHP-TOPSIS method； the evaluation results obtained by this method are quantifiable， scientific and reliable. The unreasonable use of atosiban is common in our hospital， and the management should be strengthened in clinical application.
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OBJECTIVES@#Metformin is the basic drug for treating diabetes, and the plateau hypoxic environment is an important factor affecting the pharmacokinetics of metformin, but there have been no reports of metformin pharmacokinetic parameters in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) in the high-altitude hypoxic environment. This study aims to investigate the effect of the hypoxic environment on the pharmacokinetics and assess the efficacy and safety of metformin administration in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).@*METHODS@#A total of 85 patients with T2DM taking metformin tablets in the plateau group (n=32, altitude: 1 500 m) and control group (n=53, altitude: 3 800 m) were enrolled according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 172 blood samples were collected in the plateau group and the control Group. A ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) method was established to determine the blood concentration of metformin, and Phoenix NLME software was used to establish a model of pharmacokinetics of metformin in the Chinese T2DM population. The efficacy and serious adverse effects of metformin were compared between the 2 groups.@*RESULTS@#The population pharmacokinetic modeling results showed that plateau hypoxia and age were the main covariates for model building, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were significantly different between the plateau and control groups (all P<0.05), including distribution volume (V), clearance (CL), elimination rate constant (Ke), half-life(T1/2), area under the curve (AUC), time to reach maximum concentration (Tmax). Compared with the control group, AUC was increased by 23.5%, Tmax and T1/2 were prolonged by 35.8% and 11.7%, respectively, and CL was decreased by 31.9% in the plateau group. The pharmacodynamic results showed that the hypoglycaemic effect of T2DM patients in the plateau group was similar to that in the control group, the concentration of lactic acid was higher in the plateau group than that in the control group, and the risk of lactic acidosis was increased after taking metformin in the plateau population.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Metformin metabolism is slowed down in T2DM patients in the hypoxic environment of the plateau; the glucose-lowering effect of the plateau is similar, and the attainment rate is low, the possibility of having serious adverse effects of lactic acidosis is higher in T2DM patients on the plateau than on the control one. It is probably suggested that patients with T2DM on the plateau can achieve glucose lowering effect by extending the interval between medication doses and enhancing medication education to improve patient compliance.
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Humans , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy , Metformin/therapeutic use , Acidosis, Lactic , Tandem Mass Spectrometry , Hypoxia , GlucoseABSTRACT
In order to promote the rational clinical use of gadolinium-based contrast agents （GBCA） and to provide a reference for physicians to prescribe such contrast agents and for pharmacists to review prescriptions， the consensus working group launched the preparation project of “Consensus on whole-process pharmaceutical care for GBCA” according to domestic and foreign guidelines and consensus. The Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University took the lead and cooperated with clinical experts and pharmaceutical experts from several domestic medical institutions to discuss and summarize the basic pharmacological effect of GBCA， types， pharmacokinetics， pharmacodynamics， indications， contraindications， precautions， usage and dosage， adverse drug reactions， and finally forms the consensus. The main contents of this consensus include an overview of various types of GBCA， rational clinical use of drugs， security management and whole-process pharmaceutical care process， etc.， for reference by physicians and pharmacists in medical institutions at all levels.
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Objective To establish a rational drug use model of PIVAS and promote the rational drug use in clinical practices by enhancing the quality of prescription review by pharmacists. Methods The PIVAS physician orders received from 2014 to 2021 were extracted through the hospital information management (HIS) system. The types of irrational physician orders were statistically analyzed, the improvements were made by the method of quality control circle (QCC). Results The model of PIVAS rational drug use formed a standardized process. The proficiency of physician order review was improved. From 2014 to 2021, the number and proportion of unreasonable physician orders in PIVAS decreased year by year. Every type of unreasonable physician orders was improved year by year. Conclusion The professional and technical levels of pharmacist for physician order review at our hospital were improved by the model of PIVAS rational drug use. The quality of pharmaceutical service was significantly improved which ensured the safety of patients' medication.
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OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical comprehensive value of 15 Chinese patent medicines for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B， in order to provide reference for clinical rational drug use. METHODS According to the Management Guidelines for Clinical Comprehensive Evaluation of Pharmaceuticals （2021 Version for Trial Implementation）， systematic literature review， meta-analysis and other related data analysis methods were used to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis for the safety， efficacy， economy， suitability， accessibility and innovation of 15 Chinese patent medicines. RESULTS In terms of safety， most of the adverse drug reactions of chronic hepatitis B Chinese patent medicines before the market were unobserved or unclear； post-marketing safety took nucleoside analogs as the intermediate bridge for meta-analysis， there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions among the combined regimens of Chinese patent medicines （P＞0.05）， except that the combination regimen of Fuzheng huayu capsule， Compound yiganling capsules versus combination regimen of Jiuwei gantai capsules showed statistically significant differences （P＜0.05）. In terms of effectiveness， the results of network meta-analysis showed that most Chinese patent medicines， such as Fuzheng huayu capsules combined regimens， had no significant differences in effective rate， HBeAg negative conversion rate and HBV-DNA negative conversion rate （P＞0.05）； however， in reducing the liver elastic hardness value， the combined regimen of Dangfei liganning tablet （capsule） was better than the other combined regimens （P＜0.05）. In terms of economy， the highest cost was the Shuganning injection， and the lowest was Hepatitis B qingre jiedu granules. In terms of suitability， most of the medicines were capsules， tablets and granules， which only needed to be sealed to store and taken orally or taken with boiling water. Compared with injections and some similar products that required strict control of storage temperature， its suitability was better. In terms of accessibility， from the perspective of drug price and affordability， Shuganning injection had the highest average daily cost， the number of days that needed to be borne by the average daily wage was the highest； the average daily cost of Compound yiganling tablets was the lowest， and the number of days required to be borne by the average daily wage was the lowest. From the perspective of availability， Compound biejia ruangan tablets， Dangfei liganning capsules and Wuzhi granules were easier to obtain. In terms of innovation， the 15 Chinese patent medicines included in the study were all domestically produced medicines with a relatively long-term theoretical basis of traditional Chinese medicine and experience in human medicine， and had good industrial innovation. Among them， Compound huayu tablets （capsules） and Anluo huaxian pills were protected varieties of traditional Chinese medicine； Fuzheng huayu tablets （capsules） with more patents had 6 valid patents， all of which were patents for invention. CONCLUSIONS Wuzhi capsule， Sedum sarmentosum granules， Compound yiganling tablets， Rhubarb buchong pills and Dangfei liganning capsules have high clinical comprehensive value.
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Objective To explore how to further improve the quality of home pharmacy services under the background of aging. Methods The development history of home pharmacy service in our country in recent years was summarized, and the current status and limitations of home-based pharmacy service were analyzed. Results Our country's home-based pharmacy service has gradually matured and standardized from the early stage of independent exploration in various regions, but its quality improvement is still restricted by multiple bottlenecks. It is recommended to increase the popularity of pharmacy services, broaden the promotion channels for rational drug use, and optimize the allocation of pharmacists. etc. to be improved. Conclusion It is of great significance to improve the quality of home-based pharmacy services for home-based patients in the community, and it requires the joint efforts of multiple parties to improve it.
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OBJECTIVE To provide theoretical basis for the rational use of drugs in medical institutions， assist in improving the quality of pharmaceutical services， and thus meet clinical drug demands. METHODS Adopting consensus meetings， Liaoning Pharmaceutical Association，Jilin Pharmaceutical Association and Heilongjiang Pharmaceutical Association collaborated with clinical and pharmaceutical experts in the region to compile the expert consensus on off-label drug use in the three Northeastern provinces of China after many votes and discussions by collecting and collating the information related to off-label drug use in medical institutions from the three northeastern provinces of China，and referring to and citing off-label drug use stated in some expert consensus and medication catalog. RESULTS Finally， a total of 198 pieces of off-label drug use information for 70 drugs were included in the two sections of solid tumors and hematological diseases in Consensus of Experts on Drug Use beyond the Instructions in the Three Provinces of Northeast China. CONCLUSIONS Consensus of Experts on Off-label Drug Use in the Three Northeastern Provinces of Northeast China （solid tumors and hematology）offers a theoretical foundation for rational drug use in the treatment of solid tumors and hematological diseases within medical institutions，and has a positive significance in improving the effectiveness and safety of drug treatment.
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Objective To improve the quality of prescriptions and promote the rational drug application of Dingqing Tablets by investigating the outpatient prescriptions in a tertiary A hospital. Methods A total of 4 796 prescriptions of outpatient pharmacy patients from August 1, 2020 to August 1, 2021 were extracted from the hospital information system by the hospital information software, focusing on the analysis of indications, usage and dosage, drug interaction, etc. Results 10 departments including hematology department and geriatrics department were used Dingqing Tablets, and the irrationality was mainly manifested in the superposition of drug flavors and drug interactions. Conclusion Dingqing tablets were widely used in clinic and had remarkable curative effect. However, there are certain risks in the use of Dingqing tablets. It is necessary to add medication education and supervision to promote the safe and rational use of drugs in clinic.
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In order to standardize the review and comment of national key monitoring drug prescriptions （medical orders） by medical institutions at all levels， the Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences·Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital took the lead in compiling the Review and Comment Rules of National Key Monitoring Drugs prescriptions （Medical Orders） herein after referred to as the Rules in accordance with the Second Batch of National Key Monitoring Rational Drug Use List （hereinafter referred to as the List） issued by the National Health Commission confirmed in Jan. 13， 2023. According to the laws and drug instructions issued by the national drug regulatory department， clinical guidelines and expert consensus， combined with the actual situation of patients （including age， body weight， liver and kidney function）， the writing group classified the common and unreasonable drug use problems for 30 kinds of drugs included in the List and develop the review and comment details. After two rounds of Delphi method questionnaire research and experts’ online meetings， and reviewed by the steering committee， the final Rules was formed. The Rules aim to provide reference for the evaluation of the rational use of drugs included in the List by medical institutions， so as to realize the standardized management of key monitoring drugs， promote the rational drug use in medical institutions， and ensure the safety of drug use for patients.
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In order to strengthen the supervision of the use of drugs in hospitals，the Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences· Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital took the lead in compiling the Principles for the Rational Use of National Key Monitoring Drugs （the Second Batch） with a number of experts from multiple medical units in accordance with the Second Batch of National Key Monitoring Rational Drug Use List （hereinafter referred to as “the List”） issued by the National Health Commission. According to the method of the WHO Guidelines Development Manual， the writing team used the Delphi method to unify expert opinions by reading and summarizing the domestic and foreign literature evidence of related drugs， and applied the evaluation， formulation and evaluation method of recommendation grading （GRADE） to evaluate the quality of evidence formed， focusing on more than 30 drugs in the List about the evaluation of off-label indications of drugs， key points of rational drug use and key points of pharmaceutical monitoring. It aims to promote the scientific standardization and effective management of clinical medication， further improve the quality of medical services， reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions and drug abuse， promote rational drug use， and improve public health.
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In order to expand the breadth and depth of pharmaceutical services, in March 2022, a tertiary hospital opened a physician-pharmacist joint clinic based on clinical specialty clinics. The hospital formulated a fixed outpatient scheduling system, clarified service targets, established outpatient treatment processes and quality management systems, and standardized pharmacist communication models, to provide patients with " one-stop" standardized pharmaceutical services. As of December 2022, the pharmaceutical joint outpatient service had opened more than 100 consultations and served 1 709 patients. This practice provided reference for promoting the high-quality development of pharmaceutical services in medical institutions in China.
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Pharmacy services in grassroots medical institutions provide professional pharmacy services for patients. This service not only expanded the scope of primary care delivery, but also meets the residents′need for appropriate medication. At present, the majority of grassroots medical institutions in China provide outpatient pharmacy services by means of pharmacy service alliance, and foreign grassroots medical institutions mainly provide pharmaceutical outpatient services with drug treatment management as the core for patients by granting pharmacists partial prescription rights.In recent years, pharmaceutical outpatient services in grassroots medical institutions had achieved good results in improving patient clinical outcomes, enhancing medication rationality, and enhancing patient compliance. However, there were many unresolved issues, including low public awareness, shortage of pharmaceutical talents, and imperfect guarantee systems. The author suggestted that efforts should be made to increase the publicity of pharmaceutical outpatient services, improve the training mechanism for pharmacists, strengthen cooperation between pharmacists and clinical physicians, include pharmacists in the contracted service team of family doctors, and improve various guarantee systems, in order to provide reference for promoting the sustainable development of pharmaceutical outpatient services in grassroots medical institutions in China.
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OBJECTIVE To further improve the rational drug use control mechanism based on performance appraisal， explore new paths of pharmaceutical care and promote the rational clinical drug use management to deepen development. METHODS The reform of pharmaceutical management system in our hospital was performed through implementing the “ten-point system of prescription behavior management”， supplemented by the two carriages of “strengthening prescription review” and “standardizing clinical medication”. By implementing a number of auxiliary measures such as man-machine integration pre-prescription review， improving pharmacists’ prescription review ability， optimizing prescription review mechanism in real time， regulating physicians’ off-label drug use behavior， and improving drug evaluation mechanism， pre-control and in-process intervention were completed. The evaluation results were incorporated into performance assessment by referring to the “ten-point system of prescription behavior management”， so as to realize multi-dimensional and fully closed-loop rational drug use management. The effects of management were evaluated by comparing the statistical results of related indexes before and after the management. RESULTS Compared with before management， irrational rate of prescriptions and medical orders in our hospital in 2022 decreased significantly， compared to the same period in 2020； the irrational rate of inpatient medical orders decreased from 5.00% in 2020 to 2.69% in 2022， and that of outpatient prescriptions decreased from 4.59% to 2.48%； the frequency of communication between clinical pharmacists and physicians increased； the times of clinical consultations increased from 16 to 58， and doctors’ acceptance of intervention for irrational drug use had improved from 52％ to 87％ ； physicians had a deeper understanding and recognition of clinical pharmaceutical care， the awareness of clinical rational drug use had been significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS The rational drug use control mechanism guided by performance appraisal further standardizes the issuance of prescriptions and medical orders， and makes physician-pharmacist cooperation more prominent， so as to realize the closed-loop pharmaceutical management of “pre- review， in-process supervision and post-evaluation”， and promote rational drug use in clinical practice.