[e-drug] Top 10 readings on Essential Medicines (cont)

[richardl@bu.edu]

E-drug: Top 10 readings on Essential Medicines (cont)
---------------------------------------------

Hi

Making this list is a challenge. Should it be chronological? Should it
include only key note papers or could it include books or review articles.
Could it include your own papers.

Here is my list in more or less chronological order

1.  the 1977 first EDL list (The little blue book that started this
revolution)

2.  Managing Drug Supply 1 and 2 (The standard texts that have had an
incredible impact)

3.  Nairobi conference of experts on the rational use of drugs (1985 Nairobi
Conferences) (Served as the basis for the revised drug strategy)

4. Computerized calculation of essential drug requirements by Soeters
and Bannenberg in Social Science and Medicine 27 955-970 ( I thought of
putting in Hans Hogerzeil's 4 Tropical Doctor articles from Ghana but
decided that this is the best quantification article)

5.  Field tests for rational drug use in twelve developing countries by
Hogerzeil,H.V.; Bimo; Ross-Degnan,D.G.; Laing,R.O.; Ofori-Adjei,D.;
Santoso,B.; Chowdhury,A.K.A.; Das,A.M.; Kafle,K.K.; Mabadeje,A.F.; et al. in
Lancet 1993 (This article should of course be read in conjunction with the
WHO Manual How to investigate Drug use in Health Facilities WHO/DAP93.1)

6. Hardon AP. The use of modern pharmaceuticals in a Filipino village:
doctors' prescription and self medication. Social Science & Medicine.
25(3):277-92, 1987. (This is the best article I know of about community
aspects of pharmaceuticals)

7. Hadiyono,J.E.; Suryawati,S.; Danu,S.S.; Sunartono; Santoso,B.
Interactional group discussion: results of a controlled trial using a
behavioral intervention to reduce the use of injections in public health
facilities Social Science and Medicine 42 1177 1183 (This I think is one of
the most elegant intervention studies on changing drug use) I was tempted to
put the  Health Policy and Planning article on 10 recomendations to improve
drug use but decided someone elso could suggest it!

8. The baby blue WHO TRIPS and Public Health that Mohga Smith
mentioned is also on my list

9.  Laing RO and Ruredzo The essential drugs programme in Zimbabwe: new
approaches to training Health Policy and Planning 4(3) 229 (Although this is
one of mine I do like it as one of the few articles about the planning and
management of Essential drugs Programs and the ZEDAP approach became the
standard approach)

10.  MSH Drug Price Indicator guide (This has been around since 1988 and
has had an enormous influence)

What just missed? I like Ranjit Roy Chaudhury's article about the Delhi
State drug procurement system that appeared in the recent ED Monitor. I
considered the essential drugs section of the World Bank Investing in Health
1993 . This section written primarily by Helen Saxenian is one of the most
concise arguments for the Essential Drugs Concept. Then there is the World
Bank Technical Note on Pharmaceutical Procurement written by Yolanda Tayler.
There is of course the Inter Agency guidelines on Pharmaceutical procurement
but that is based on the MDS2 chapter so it is already in. Then the Guide to
good prescribing or the Lancet article that goes with it and for donations
the NEJM article about Bosnia would be my choice. Nothing on quality yet.
That will be the Rago and Van Niekerk article about the WHO Prequalification
scheme when they write it!

So for me the most difficult thing was to decide what to leave out. I look
forward to reading other top 10 lists.

Richard


Richard Laing
Associate Professor of International Health
Boston University School of Public Health
715 Albany St, T4W, Boston MA 02118 USA
Tel 617 414-1444 Fax 617 638-4476
E-mail richardl@bu.edu
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