Effectiveness of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Programs and Strategies in Saudi Arabia: A Narrative Review

Fahad Aldhafeeri,1 Andrew Wilson,1 Shaun Larkin,1 Faisal Murayh Aldhafeeri2 1Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; 2Hafer Al Batin Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Hafer Al Batin, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Fahad Aldhafeeri, Email [email protected]: The high prevalence of chronic diseases, workforce challenges, and growing polypharmacy adversely impact the quality use of medicines (QUM) and health outcomes in Saudi Arabia (SA). The SA Ministry of Health (MOH) has initiated several programs and policies to enhance QUM including a National Medication Safety Program, national clinical guidelines, and technology-based strategies.Objective: To assess the published literature on the range, quality, and effectiveness of QUM methods in the SA health system.Methods: Comprehensive search of electronic databases Scopus, Medline, and PubMed for papers reporting evaluation of QUM interventions or programs in SA.Results: QUM programs involving medication reconciliation, interventions by hospital pharmacists, antibiotics stewardship, technology and staff training are the most commonly used programs reported in SA. Evaluations of several QUM interventions found a significant positive impact on health outcomes, prescribing patterns, chronic disease management, medication safety, and healthcare costs. Medication reconciliation programs reduced discrepancies by up to 20% in some studies. Hospital pharmacist interventions showed high acceptance rates (up to 92%) and improved medication safety. Antibiotic stewardship programs effectively reduced antimicrobial use and costs. Health information technology implementations like electronic health records (EHR), and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) showed mixed results but generally improved medication safety and efficiency. Staff training initiatives enhanced healthcare professionals’ knowledge and skills in medication management.Conclusion: While SA has national QUM policies and programs, and evidence that individual QUM interventions have significant positive local impact, more large-scale, multi-center studies are needed to provide a comprehensive view of QUM practices. More rigorous evaluations of existing programs and expansion of the range of QUM programs to align with international ones could further improve medication safety and patient outcomes in Saudi Arabia.Keywords: quality use of medicines, QUM, medication safety, rational use of medicines, Saudi Arabia, medication reconciliation, stewardship programs, technology