Drug utilization studies and drug monitoring in The Netherlands.

Drug utilization research is a research area of increasing importance, as well in the Netherlands as elsewhere. In this article on overview is given of the situation in the Netherlands. Three types of studies are distinguished, descriptive studies, studies of the determinants of drug use and studies of the impact of drug use. Descriptive studies are needed to understand the present situation and to detect problems. If these problems are to be solved it is important to understand the factors that determine drug use. By looking what the impact is, the value of drug use for health care can be assessed. It is also an important tool for developing systems for drug monitoring at a patient level. At present community pharmacists play an important role in drug monitoring at the patient level. A problem still awaiting a solution is how to implement such systems effectively.