Systematically developed treatment protocols and prescribing policies designed to assist prescribers/practitioners in making decisions about the appropriate treatment and health care for the specific clinical problem are termed STG (Standard Treatment Guidelines).

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PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS ER20-24T
Chapter 1: Pharmacotherapeutics
Topic 4. Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs)
Presented by- Ms. ALKA
Assistant Professor
FACULTY OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE
RAMA UNIVERSITY UTTAR PRADESH
KANPUR, INDIA
2023-2024
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Definition: Systematically developed treatment protocols and prescribing policies
designed to assist prescribers/practitioners in making decisions about the appropriate
treatment and health care for the specific clinical problem are termed STG (Standard
Treatment Guidelines).
Health systems, particularly in developing countries, are faced with growing health needs
on the one hand and limited resources on the other. Policymakers at various levels are
therefore engaged in designing cost-effective health interventions that ensure accessible
and affordable quality care for all, in particular the poor and vulnerable groups.
Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs)

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The STG is a tool to assist and guide prescribers, pharmacists, dispensers, and other
healthcare staff who prescribe at primary care facilities in providing quality care to patients.
The guidelines list the preferred treatments for common health problems experienced by
people in the health system and were subjected to stakeholder discussions before being
finalized to ensure that the opinion of the intended users was considered and incorporated.
 STGs are based on a systemic review of evidence-based healthcare delivery systems.
 STGs help to promote the therapeutically effective and economically efficient use of
medicines.
 Along with EMLs and formularies, STGs help promote rational medicine use.
 STGs contain a list of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment guidelines for
common health problems in a health system.

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 Advantages of STG
1. Patients
 Most cost-effective optimal therapy is provided.
 Better compliance through consistency among
prescribers.
 Improvement in the availability of drugs.
 Overall better quality of care.
2. Healthcare providers
 Provides standardized guidance to practitioners.
 Quality of care standard- based on expert
consensus and basis for monitoring.
 Utilizes only formulary or essential medicines.
4. Supply managers
 Identification of medicines to be available for the most treated
problems.
 Facilitation of prepackaging of course-of-therapy quantities of
commonly prescribed
 Medicine demand is more predictable, so forecasting is more reliable.
3.Healthcare policymakers
 Provides focus therapeutic
integration of special
programs.
 Provides a system for
controlling costs by using
funds more efficiently.

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 Key features of a successful STG manual
o Simplicity: The number of health problems is limited to commonly observed
conditions. Each clinical condition lists a few salient features with clear and concise
information on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment.
o Credibility: Guidelines developed by the most respected experienced clinicians in the
country and revision is based on actual experience.
o Treatment standards for all levels of healthcare facilities: Healthcare providers use
the same standard treatment; however, the referral criterion differs. While the first-
choice treatment for a patient depends upon the patient’s diagnosis and condition and
not on the prescriber.

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o Medicine supply based on standards: The supply of medicines must match with the
standard treatment and list of essential medicines.
o Regular updating: Any change in the therapeutic options, or bacterial resistance pattern
should be incorporated in the revised version to reflect current recommendations.
o User friendly: The STGs should be published as small, durable pocket manuals which make
them convenient to carry and use.
 Drawback of STG
 Establishing, developing and implementation of STGs is a difficult, lengthy, and time-
consuming process.
 Moreover, it needs to be updated regularly to reflect changes in treatment strategies.

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