Rational drug use is an important aspect of the national health policy; it is also an essential tool with regard to improving the quality of basic health. Rational use of medicine has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), which requires patients to receive appropriate medications for their clinical needs in doses that meet their individual requirements for an adequate period of time at the lowest possible cost to them and their community. In 2002, WHO indicated that more than half of all medicines in the world were prescribed, administered, or sold inappropriately.

In Thailand, the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is responsible for issuing regulatory policies in healthcare. Its policies were designed to ensure facilities compliance with safety standards. The MOPH published a manual of rational drug use in hospitals in 2015 to monitor core indicators of facilitating quantitative evaluation of rational drug use in hospitals in Thailand, and the implementation of rational drug use has been ongoing since 2016.

The rational drug use in Thai hospitals follows 6 tools. Firstly, the strengthening of drugs and therapeutic committees; second, the development of standardized labels, extended labels, and patient information leaflets; third, the implementation of the essential tools for rational use of medicines; fourth, the establishment of awareness of rational drug use concepts for health professionals and patients; fifth, the extra precautions uses of medicines in the special populations; and finally, the strengthening of ethics in prescription. Therefore, the implementation of rational drug use tools is an important feature necessitating advancement in policy application in hospitals. The expected result of the project is quality health services that enhance the quality of life for all people with equality.

Anutra Khangtragool has completed her PhD from Chiang Mai University, Thailand. She is the head of Chief of Pharmaceutical Inventory Section, Division of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. She has 11 publications that have been cited 37 times, and her publication h-index is 3. She has been serving as a committee of ethical review board of Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, and reviewer of American Journal of Health Research