Prescribed daily dose

Prescribed Daily Dose (PDD) is a term used in pharmacology and clinical medicine to denote the average maintenance dose per day of a medication that is prescribed for a patient's long-term therapy. The PDD is typically determined by a healthcare professional based on the patient's individual needs, the nature of the disease or condition being treated, and the specific characteristics of the medication itself.

Definition

The Prescribed Daily Dose is defined as the average daily dose prescribed for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a unit of measurement used in pharmacoeconomics to standardize the comparison of drug usage between different drugs or between different health care environments.

Calculation

The PDD is calculated by dividing the total amount of the drug prescribed by the number of days of treatment. This calculation is typically done by a healthcare professional, such as a pharmacist or physician, and is based on the patient's individual needs and the specific characteristics of the medication.

Use in Pharmacoeconomics

In pharmacoeconomics, the PDD is used to compare the usage of different drugs or to compare drug usage in different healthcare settings. This can help to identify patterns of drug use, to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different treatments, and to monitor changes in drug use over time.

Limitations

While the PDD is a useful tool in pharmacology and clinical medicine, it has some limitations. For example, it does not take into account the variability in individual patient's needs, the variability in the severity of the disease or condition being treated, or the variability in the specific characteristics of different medications. Therefore, the PDD should be used as a guide, not as a definitive measure of a patient's medication needs.

See Also

• Defined Daily Dose
• Pharmacoeconomics
• Pharmacology
• Clinical Medicine