Drug and Therapeutics Committee Structure and Roles in Hospitals: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTCs) have been identified and promoted as a fundamental model in advancing the rational management and use of essential medicines and health supplies in hospitals since the 1970s. However, there is still a scarcity of comprehensive literature on their current structure and actual roles performed in various countries. We conducted a scoping review using the Pubmed and ResearchGate databases and included eligible articles published between 2010 and 2023, to assess the structure and roles performed by hospital DTCs. The database search yielded 47 potential records, but only seven of these were eligible for inclusion. Studies included were from both highincome and low- and middle-income countries. The structure of DTCs is generally similar across these countries, with minor contextual variations. All DTCs are heterogeneous in composition and contain both medical and non-medical staff. The DTC leadership comprises a chairperson who is usually a senior clinician, and a secretary who is usually a pharmacist. The majority of the DTCs have at least one sub-committee, and antimicrobial stewardship is the most common. The DTCs still perform their customary roles, although their role scope is expanding. In some countries, the DTCs have taken on additional roles due to the evolving medicines management and use problems, and technologies. There is however still a dearth of recent primary data on the structure and roles of DTCs in many countries. We recommend more primary research to understand the status of DTCs in various countries and to provide more insights into the existence and functionality of the DTC sub-committees.