What should be updated in the WHO guide to good prescribing?

IF 3.5 3区医学 Q3 PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY

European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Pub Date : 2026-10-14 DOI:10.1007/s00228-026-04198-1

Mariëlle G Hartjes, Fleur M W Hendriksen, Michiel J Bakkum, Yoann Cazaubon, Erik M Donker, Ellen van Leeuwen, Robert Likic, Yves-Marie Pers, Tuan A Phan, Joost D Piët, Fabrizio De Ponti, Walter Raasch, Milan C Richir, Floor van Rosse, Jitka Rychlíčková, Emilio J Sanz, Markus Schwaninger, Susanna M Wallerstedt, Michiel A van Agtmael, Jelle Tichelaar

{"title":"What should be updated in the WHO guide to good prescribing?","authors":"Mariëlle G Hartjes, Fleur M W Hendriksen, Michiel J Bakkum, Yoann Cazaubon, Erik M Donker, Ellen van Leeuwen, Robert Likic, Yves-Marie Pers, Tuan A Phan, Joost D Piët, Fabrizio De Ponti, Walter Raasch, Milan C Richir, Floor van Rosse, Jitka Rychlíčková, Emilio J Sanz, Markus Schwaninger, Susanna M Wallerstedt, Michiel A van Agtmael, Jelle Tichelaar","doi":"10.1007/s00228-026-04198-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: Over 30 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Guide to Good Prescribing (GGP) with its accompanying six-step model for rational prescribing. While widely used and proven effective in teaching clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT), the GGP has never been revised to reflect scientific, societal, technological, and educational developments. The aim of this study was to explore which elements could be revised to actualize its content.Methods: CPT teachers experienced with the GGP were recruited from all six WHO regions. Six online nominal group technique sessions were conducted to elicit and prioritize ideas for revising the GGP. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach to capture participants' views on both content and optimal format of the renewed GGP.Results: Twenty-six participants shared136 ideas for the revision, grouped into three main areas: ideas about the usability, accessibility, and awareness of the GGP; ideas about the six-step framework; and ideas about background information or supplementary chapters. Suggestions for improving usability emphasized an interactive, digital platform for accessibility, continuous updates, and integrated resources. Regarding the six-step model, participants recommended retaining its structure while incorporating key considerations such as pharmacovigilance, shared decision-making, and deprescribing. Lastly, participants proposed supplementary information on topics such as therapeutic reasoning and special patient populations.Conclusion: Suggestions for revising the WHO GGP included integrating contemporary and societal prescribing considerations to enhance its relevance, educational impact and usability, thereby supporting safe and effective prescribing in modern clinical practice.","PeriodicalId":11857,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology","volume":"82 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668889/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-026-04198-1","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: Over 30 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Guide to Good Prescribing (GGP) with its accompanying six-step model for rational prescribing. While widely used and proven effective in teaching clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT), the GGP has never been revised to reflect scientific, societal, technological, and educational developments. The aim of this study was to explore which elements could be revised to actualize its content.

Methods: CPT teachers experienced with the GGP were recruited from all six WHO regions. Six online nominal group technique sessions were conducted to elicit and prioritize ideas for revising the GGP. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach to capture participants' views on both content and optimal format of the renewed GGP.

Results: Twenty-six participants shared136 ideas for the revision, grouped into three main areas: ideas about the usability, accessibility, and awareness of the GGP; ideas about the six-step framework; and ideas about background information or supplementary chapters. Suggestions for improving usability emphasized an interactive, digital platform for accessibility, continuous updates, and integrated resources. Regarding the six-step model, participants recommended retaining its structure while incorporating key considerations such as pharmacovigilance, shared decision-making, and deprescribing. Lastly, participants proposed supplementary information on topics such as therapeutic reasoning and special patient populations.

Conclusion: Suggestions for revising the WHO GGP included integrating contemporary and societal prescribing considerations to enhance its relevance, educational impact and usability, thereby supporting safe and effective prescribing in modern clinical practice.

查看原文本刊更多论文

世卫组织《良好处方指南》应更新哪些内容？

目的：30多年前，世界卫生组织（世卫组织）出版了《良好处方指南》（GGP）及其附带的合理处方六步骤模型。虽然在临床药理学和治疗学（CPT）教学中广泛使用并证明有效，但GGP从未被修订以反映科学、社会、技术和教育的发展。本研究的目的是探讨哪些要素可以修改以实现其内容。方法：从世卫组织所有六个区域招募具有GGP经验的CPT教师。进行了六次在线名义小组技术会议，以引出和优先考虑修改GGP的想法。对讨论进行录音，逐字抄录，并采用归纳主题方法进行分析，以了解与会者对新版《全球发展战略》的内容和最佳形式的看法。结果：26名参与者分享了136个修改意见，分为三个主要领域：关于GGP的可用性、可访问性和意识的想法；关于六步框架的设想；关于背景信息或补充章节的想法。改善可用性的建议强调了一个交互式的数字平台，以实现可访问性、持续更新和资源集成。关于六步模型，与会者建议保留其结构，同时纳入关键考虑因素，如药物警戒、共同决策和处方。最后，与会者提出了关于治疗推理和特殊患者群体等主题的补充信息。结论：修订世卫组织全球处方指南的建议包括整合当代和社会处方考虑因素，以增强其相关性、教育影响和可用性，从而支持现代临床实践中安全有效的处方。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 医学-药学

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

3.40%

发文量

170

审稿时长

3-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology publishes original papers on all aspects of clinical pharmacology and drug therapy in humans. Manuscripts are welcomed on the following topics: therapeutic trials, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenetics, drug metabolism, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, all aspects of drug development, development relating to teaching in clinical pharmacology, pharmacoepidemiology, and matters relating to the rational prescribing and safe use of drugs. Methodological contributions relevant to these topics are also welcomed. Data from animal experiments are accepted only in the context of original data in man reported in the same paper. EJCP will only consider manuscripts describing the frequency of allelic variants in different populations if this information is linked to functional data or new interesting variants. Highly relevant differences in frequency with a major impact in drug therapy for the respective population may be submitted as a letter to the editor. Straightforward phase I pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic studies as parts of new drug development will only be considered for publication if the paper involves -a compound that is interesting and new in some basic or fundamental way, or -methods that are original in some basic sense, or -a highly unexpected outcome, or -conclusions that are scientifically novel in some basic or fundamental sense.