The Rational Drug Use Within the Scope of Patient Safety

Patient safety is an approach that aims to minimize the risks that patients may encounter during their treatment processes at every stage of healthcare. It is extremely important for health professionals to work in accordance with ethical, professional standards and to use correct diagnosis and treatment methods. The process of rational drug use involves first carefully defining the patient's problem, applying reliable drug treatment with proven effectiveness, and monitoring and evaluating the results. In rational drug use, the responsible parties are the physician who decides on drug use, the pharmacist who provides the drug under appropriate conditions, the nurse who administers the drug, and the patient who is treated. Especially in hospitals, it is the nurse's responsibility to give, administer, monitor and prevent possible side effects of medications. Nurses' duties in the medication management process are not limited to administering medications correctly to patients; they also play a critical role in the effectiveness and safety of medications. In the current review, the importance of rational drug use within the scope of patient safety is emphasized and the duties of health professionals are expressed.