Drug and Therapeutics Committee Structure and Roles in Hospitals: A Scoping Review
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Abstract:
Drug and Therapeutics
Committees (DTCs) have been identified and promoted as a fundamental model in advancing
the rational management and use of essential medicines and health supplies in hospitals
since the 1970s. However, there is still a scarcity of comprehensive literature
on their current structure and actual roles performed in various countries. We conducted
a scoping review using the Pubmed and ResearchGate databases and included eligible
articles published between 2010 and 2023, to assess the structure and roles performed
by hospital DTCs. The database search yielded 47 potential records, but only seven
of these were eligible for inclusion. Studies included were from both high-income
and low- and middle-income countries. The structure of DTCs is generally similar
across these countries, with minor contextual variations. All DTCs are heterogeneous
in composition and contain both medical and non-medical staff. The DTC leadership
comprises a chairperson who is usually a senior clinician, and a secretary who is
usually a pharmacist. The majority of the DTCs have at least one sub-committee,
and antimicrobial stewardship is the most common. The DTCs still perform their customary
roles, although their role scope is expanding. In some countries, the DTCs have
taken on additional roles due to the evolving medicines management and use problems,
and technologies. There is however still a dearth of recent primary data on the
structure and roles of DTCs in many countries. We recommend more primary research
to understand the status of DTCs in various countries and to provide more insights
into the existence and functionality of the DTC sub-committees.
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