COMPUS Process

The Canadian Optimal Medication Prescribing and Utilization Service (COMPUS) identifies and promotes optimal drug therapy. Strategies, tools, and services are provided to encourage the use of evidence-based clinical and cost-effectiveness information in decision making among health care providers and consumers. The optimal use of medication to improve health outcomes is an important focus in Canadian health care and is central to the COMPUS mandate.

COMPUS follows an established procedure to carry out its key objectives of:

• identifying optimal drug prescribing and use by collecting and evaluating existing evidence
• providing advice, tools, and proven strategies for jurisdictions and others to implement and support the adoption of optimal drug therapy by health care providers, consumers, and others involved in the prescription drug use continuum
• developing and maintaining an inventory or virtual library of evidence-based and cost-effectiveness information on optimal drug therapy
• linking and exchanging information with national and international parties active in optimal drug therapy
• identifying gaps in knowledge about optimal drug therapy through a range of sources, including linkages with federal, provincial, and territorial pharmaceutical management programs, which may guide research in the field.

Leading experts from the scientific and medical communities, including clinicians, pharmacists, methodologists and economists, are routinely engaged to help COMPUS achieve its objectives of identifying and promoting optimal drug therapy.

See our interactive visual presentation of the COMPUS procedure.