Medication refers to pharmaceutical substances administered to prevent, treat, or manage disease, and to the clinical processes that govern their safe and effective use. Beyond the drugs themselves, the concept encompasses prescribing, dispensing, administration, and the ongoing review of therapy to optimize benefit…
Medication refers to pharmaceutical substances administered to prevent, treat, or manage disease, and to the clinical processes that govern their safe and effective use. Beyond the drugs themselves, the concept encompasses prescribing, dispensing, administration, and the ongoing review of therapy to optimize benefit and minimize harm. A central concern is medication adherence, the extent to which patients take medicines as prescribed, which is influenced by understanding, side effects, cost, social support, and the complexity of regimens. Related issues include self-medication and unsupervised drug use, safe storage, polypharmacy in older and chronically ill patients, and the prevention of medication errors and adverse effects. Research in this field examines adherence in chronic conditions such as myeloid leukaemia and HIV, self-medication practices in community and pregnant populations, medication plans as quality indicators, family-supported administration in diabetes, and the metabolic risks of long-term drug therapy. Effective medication management often involves structured review, patient education, and coordination among prescribers, pharmacists, and caregivers. The field also extends toward personalized approaches that tailor drug choice and dosing to individual characteristics. Sound medication practice is fundamental to therapeutic success, patient safety, and the efficient use of healthcare resources across acute and long-term care.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 35 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Medication, linking to each citing work.