What Is the Appropriate Use of Medications?
Appropriate use refers to people taking medications best suited for their needs and goals, and to providing the greatest possible benefit and avoiding potential harm. Appropriate use of medications should add value to patients, their community, the health system, and the broader environment.
This definition is drawn from the 2024 report “A Path to Improving Medication Appropriateness in Canada”, which was developed by the Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office and their Advisory Committee. Definitions will be updated upon the release of our pan-Canadian Appropriate Use Strategy in 2025.
What Are We Doing?
We are collaborating with system and community partners to build a coordinated approach to appropriate use that improves patient safety, health outcomes, and sustainability. This means connecting and empowering those who are helping people make evidence-informed choices about the appropriate use of prescription medications and nondrug therapies.
Our work will be guided by our Appropriate Use Strategy (to be released in 2025). More detailed information about how we will be supporting the public, patients and caregivers, clinicians, decision-makers, and health care organizations to advance the appropriate use of medications is available on our Appropriate Use Strategy web page.
Appropriate Use Advisory Committee
The Appropriate Use Advisory Committee provides advice and recommendations to Canada’s Drug Agency on our work to improve the appropriate prescribing and use of medications in Canada. The Committee — co-chaired by Stephen Samis and Dr. Jim Silvius — brings together a broad range of expertise, including patient safety, equity, health care delivery, and implementation science. This ensures our work benefits from varied perspectives to better address the complexities of medication use in communities across Canada. The Committee’s advice is helping to shape the Appropriate Use Program at Canada’s Drug Agency, and our pan-Canadian Appropriate Use Strategy.
More information about the Committee is available on the Appropriate Use Advisory Committee web page.