Perspectives on Drug and Therapeutics Committee policy implementation.

BACKGROUND

Drug and therapeutics committees (DTCs) are expected to make difficult decisions that may have an impact on the clinical and economic outcomes of drug use. There have been few studies investigating the barriers to DTC policy implementation, and little is known about ways to improve the process.

OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of this qualitative study were to explore stakeholder opinions with respect to (1) the perceptions of barriers to Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) policy implementation and (2) ways to improve DTC policy implementation.

METHODS

Stakeholders of Australian DTCs participated in focus group discussions. Discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Six focus group discussions were conducted. A number of barriers were identified (lack of resources, lack of follow-up, lack of ownership, low DTC profile within the organization, and overreliance on pharmacy to implement policy). Participants were of the opinion that prioritizing decisions, optimizing pharmacy roles, provision of real-time information, and active procurement of organizational commitment were some of the ways to improve DTC policy implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

Although this study was conducted in an Australian setting, the challenges facing DTCs in other countries are likely to be similar. Ownership, social influence, and resources are important issues in the implementation of policy/guidelines for many DTCs, both in Australia and internationally. It is expected that these issues will have an impact on policy implementation. Therefore, the findings of this study may be widely applicable. This work reinforced the notion that the significance of DTCs lies beyond decision making alone. The time and expertise invested in decision making could be undermined, if DTC policies are not effectively implemented.