Patients in Shanghai may soon have to undergo blood tests after taking prescription medicines at local hospitals, which will help "doctors determine the ideal dosage and prevent overdose or side effects."
A patient-tailored pilot program is now on at some of the city's 400 hospitals and clinics, such as Changhai Hospital and Jing'an District Central Hospital, where blood tests are being used to check the concentration of medicine in patients' blood, especially those taking antibiotics, or drugs for respiratory ailments, cardiac diseases and epilepsy be-cause these medications easily lead to drug resistance and poisoning in case of overdose.
"The test can truly reveal the drug's efficacy based on different individual conditions, allowing doctors to set a reasonable dosage and interval to prevent adverse drug reactions and enhance the curative effects," said Shi Lifu of Changhai Hospital.
Traditionally, dosage is decided by age, which means individuals -- notwithstanding their different physical conditions but of similar age -- get the same quantity of drug. Because of the single-standard dosage, many end up with either lower or higher dose than they require, causing harm or resistance to medicine.
(eastday.com July 02, 2002)
