From Guesswork to Best Work: Appropriate Use Intervention Summaries Show the Way

Appropriate use of medications is foundational to high-quality care, and inappropriate use, including overuse and underuse, can cause unnecessary harm to patients and the health care system. Clarity on what interventions are effective can support health system leaders in selecting interventions to improve appropriate use. There are numerous interventions to support the appropriate use of medications, but the literature is fragmented, making it challenging to determine what interventions are effective. Through a first-of-its-kind umbrella review on interventions to optimize prescribing, audit and feedback, clinician education, clinical decision support systems, and academic detailing were identified as being the most impactful and effective interventions for addressing appropriate use and prescribing practices. The Appropriate Use Intervention Summaries transforms the evidence into tangible and practical guides by incorporating best practices and case examples to support decision-makers, policy-markers, and other health system leaders in making informed decisions to improve appropriate use in their work.