Test 3 Drug Utilization Review Strategies

Question 1

Define DUR

Answer 1

Review of physician prescribing, pharmacist dispensing, and patient use of drugs.

Question 2

DUR within a health system

Answer 2

Ongoing quality assurance process designed to ensure that drugs are used appropriately, safely, and effectively.

Question 3

Rationale for DUR

Answer 3

• Identify changes to pharmacotherapy that will improve patient outcomes
• Maximize return on investment of each health care dollar

Question 4

Benefits of DUR to Pharmacist

Answer 4

• Opportunity to identify and resolve problems

* Documentation of intervention demonstrates value of pharmacist

Question 5

Types of DUR

Answer 5

• Concurrent – during treatment
• Retrospective – after treatment
• Prospective – before treatment

Question 6

Concurrent (CDUR); advantages and disadvantages

Answer 6

• Ongoing monitoring of therapy during the course of the treatment
• Advantages: Identifying problems at point of care
• Disadvantages: Often more research related or used in institutional settings

Question 7

Retrospective DUR (RetroDUR); advantages and disadvantages

Answer 7

• Monitoring of past therapy for patterns of inappropriate use or abuse
• Advantages: Identifying which medications of concern are most routinely prescribed; require limited resources
• Disadvantages: Use of historical data may limit conclusions; immediate impact on patient care limited

Question 8

Prospective DUR (ProDUR); advantages and disadvantages

Answer 8

• Monitoring of therapy prior to dispensing to identify and resolve therapeutic issues
• Advantages: Occurs before patient receives medication
• Disadvantages: Can be ignored at POS

Question 9

List the 10 steps for performing DUR.

Answer 9

• Gain organizational authority
• Delineate scope of DUR
• Identify important medications
• Identify indicators
• Establish thresholds
• Collect and organize data
• Evaluate medication use per threshold
• Intervene to improve medication use
• Assess effectiveness of intervention
• Communicate with appropriate individuals

Question 10

intent of prior authorization.

Answer 10

prevent the prescribing of certain medications unless defined and specific criteria are first met

Question 11

Discuss the methods and materials used in prescriber education programs.

Answer 11

• methods: print, face-to-face

- materials: results of DUR, comparison to peers, guidance from experts in the field