Applied drug utilisation research, including ATC/DDD Methodology

This workshop will be presented in two 90 minute sessions: 

• Introduction to drug utilisation research:  Methodology and application
• WHO ATC/DDD methodology in DUR: A hands-on experience 

This applied course will focus on the foundation elements of drug utilisation research (DUR). Topics focussed on will include study designs used in DUR, identification of DUR data sources, and discussion of data source strengths and limitations, choice of outcome measures and the role of DUR in health care provision and policy. 

The application of the World Health Organization (WHO) Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) Methodology in DUR will provide participants with the basic theory of the ATC/DDD classification system together with practical exercises. The workshop is designed to improve the understanding and application of the ATC/DDD Classification System. 

This course is aimed at healthcare professionals and researchers who are involved in prescribing, formulary management, essential medicine lists, drug utilisation and related fields, and who wish to obtain a basic knowledge and skills in the practical application of DUR and the ATC/DDD system.  A hands-on, interactive approach will be followed in the workshop.

Johanita Burger (Prof Johanita Burger, BPharm, MPharm, PhD)
Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA)
Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University
Potchefstroom, South Africa

Johanita Burger is a registered pharmacist and professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, at the North-West University (NWU). She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, a master's degree in Pharmacy Practice, and a doctorate in Pharmacy Practice at the NWU. She has been involved in under- and post-graduate teaching to pharmacy students since 2001 and regularly acts as an external examiner for postgraduate students at local and international universities. She serves as a full-time researcher in the research entity, Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA) at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the NWU, where she coordinates the Master of Pharmacy in Pharmacy with Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology post-graduate programme. She has supervised 36 master’s and 2 doctoral studies, with 10 master’s and 8 doctoral studies in progress. She is a C3-rated South African National Research Foundation (NRF) researcher and has co-authored/authored 38 papers in peer-reviewed journals and several national and international conference contributions. She has been a member of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) since 2013 and served on the Board of Directors for the South African International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Chapter for the 2016-2018 term. She is a founding member of the Medicines Utilisation Research in Africa (MURIA) group and one of the Southern African regional leads for the ISPE Africa Chapter. Her main research fields are pharmacy practice, drug utilisation research, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacoeconomics.

 Ilse Truter is a Distinguished Professor at Nelson Mandela University (NMU).  She is a staff member of the Department of Pharmacy and leader of the Drug Utilization Research Unit (DURU) at NMU.  Since July 2020, she is also the Director of the School of Clinical Care & Medicinal Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences at NMU.  Ilse holds two doctorates (in Pharmacy and Business Management), and is a registered pharmacist.  She has successfully completed the international accredited Travel Medicine Course (WITS University), and is a member of the WHO International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology since 2017 and the WHO International Expert Working Group (EWG) for the Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP) since the end of 2022.  Ilse has authored 135 peer-reviewed research articles, four chapters in books, and 163 articles in local/professional journals.  She is a National Research Foundation (NRF) C2-rated researcher.  Her research field is pharmacoepidemiology (including drug utilisation research and pharmacoeconomics), and clinical pharmacy.  Ilse is an elected member of the South African Pharmacy Council, a member of Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa, and a council member of the South African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE).  Ilse is also a fellow of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) and a member of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).  She is a founding member of the Medicines Utilisation Research in Africa (MURIA) group, and one of the regional leads for the ISPE African Regional Interest Group (AfRiG).  Ilse has supervised 24 masters’ degrees and 13 doctoral studies.  She is a registered assessor, evaluator for the Council on Higher Education (CHE) in South Africa, and reviewer for the NRF.  She has conducted training on drug utilisation research methodology in several African countries, serves as moderator and external examiner for local and international universities, and is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Associate Editor (Asia-Africa-Middle East Region) of the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.