Use of services and supplies. Utilization is commonly examined in terms of patterns or rates of use of a single service or type of service, such as hospital care, medical practitioner visits or prescription drugs. Measurement of utilization of all medical services in combination is usually done in terms of economic costs. Use is expressed in rates per unit of population at risk for a given period, such as the number of admissions to hospital per 1000 persons over age 65 per year, or the number of visits to a medical practitioner per person per year.
A formal programme for assessing drug prescription and use patterns. DURs typically examine patterns of drug misuse, monitor current therapies, and intervene when prescription or utilization patterns fall outside pre-established standards. DUR is usually retrospective, but can also be performed before drugs are dispensed.... drug utilization review (dur)
Evaluation of the necessity, appropriateness and efficiency of the use of health care services, procedures and facilities. In a hospital, this includes review of the appropriateness of admissions, services ordered and provided, length of a stay, and discharge practices, both on a concurrent and retrospective basis. Utilization review can be done by a peer review group or a public agency.... utilization review
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