Drug-utilization studies in The Netherlands.

Drug-utilization research is a research area of increasing importance, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere. In this article an overview of the situation in the Netherlands is given. 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. In the Netherlands research in the latter area is focused on the influence of policy measures and of educational measures for physicians, as well as for the general public. The main body of research into the impact of drug use is the study of adverse effects, but increasingly attention is paid to the effect on quality of life in a broader sense. A number of data bases exist that enable drug-utilization research. At present one of the main problems concerning the data bases is the absence of adequate diagnosis-related drug-utilization data. Despite the existence of a number of shortcomings and problems, the general impression of drug-utilization research in the Netherlands is one of a flourishing field of study.