Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42873273›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2026

What should be updated in the WHO guide to good prescribing?

Mariëlle G Hartjes, Fleur M W Hendriksen, Michiel J Bakkum, Yoann Cazaubon, Erik M Donker, Ellen van Leeuwen, Robert Likic, Yves-Marie Pers, Tuan A Phan, Joost D Piët and 10 more

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In one paragraph

Article in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Mariëlle G HartjesDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands. M.hartjes@amsterdamumc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7595-2570
Fleur M W HendriksenDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands.
Michiel J BakkumDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands.
Yoann CazaubonPathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections (PCCEI), University of Montpellier, INSERM, Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Montpellier, 34090, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1032-0879
Erik M DonkerDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8169-0714
Ellen van LeeuwenDepartment of Fundamental and Applied Medical Sciences, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3155-4095
Robert LikicUnit of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb and University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 12 Kišpatićeva St, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1413-4862
Yves-Marie PersIRMB, University Montpellier, INSERM, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5927-3773
Tuan A PhanDepartment of Hospital Pharmacy, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-0532-8723
Joost D PiëtDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-7380-4876
Fabrizio De PontiDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Pharmacology Unit, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 48, Bologna, 40126, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0367-9595
Walter RaaschInstitute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8781-2997
Milan C RichirDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5523-083X
Floor van RosseDepartment of Hospital Pharmacy, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6194-3964
Jitka RychlíčkováDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5764-5326
Emilio J SanzSchool of Medicine, Universidad de La Laguna, and Hospital Universitario de Canarias (SCS), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Laguna, Tenerife, 38071, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6788-4435
Markus SchwaningerInstitute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4510-9718
Susanna M WallerstedtDepartment of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7238-1680
Michiel A van AgtmaelDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7966-6934
Jelle TichelaarDepartment of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, unit Pharmacotherapy, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7485-9219

Funding

Erasmus+ 2022-1-NL01-KA220-HED-000088069
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOver 30 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Guide to Good Prescribing (GGP) with its accompanying six-step model for rational prescribing. While widely used and proven effective in teaching clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT), the GGP has never been revised to reflect scientific, societal, technological, and educational developments. The aim of this study was to explore which elements could be revised to actualize its content.

methodsCPT teachers experienced with the GGP were recruited from all six WHO regions. Six online nominal group technique sessions were conducted to elicit and prioritize ideas for revising the GGP. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach to capture participants' views on both content and optimal format of the renewed GGP.

resultsTwenty-six participants shared136 ideas for the revision, grouped into three main areas: ideas about the usability, accessibility, and awareness of the GGP; ideas about the six-step framework; and ideas about background information or supplementary chapters. Suggestions for improving usability emphasized an interactive, digital platform for accessibility, continuous updates, and integrated resources. Regarding the six-step model, participants recommended retaining its structure while incorporating key considerations such as pharmacovigilance, shared decision-making, and deprescribing. Lastly, participants proposed supplementary information on topics such as therapeutic reasoning and special patient populations.

conclusionSuggestions for revising the WHO GGP included integrating contemporary and societal prescribing considerations to enhance its relevance, educational impact and usability, thereby supporting safe and effective prescribing in modern clinical practice.

Indexed as

Drug PrescriptionsPharmacology, ClinicalPractice Guidelines as TopicPractice Patterns, Physicians'HumansWorld Health OrganizationEducationMedical educationPrescribingQuality use of medicines

Identifiers

PMID42873273
PMCPMC13668889

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.