E-prescribing: The solution to the problem of antibiotic and prescription drug abuse

Antibiotic resistance in Vietnam is at an alarming level. Facing the risk of losing treatment weapons, the Ministry of Health issued a circular with regulations to tighten prescriptions and control antibiotics and special drugs.

New "shield" in prescription management and prevention of drug resistance

Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT, recently issued by the Ministry of Health, is creating a turning point in controlling outpatient prescriptions, especially for antibiotics and addictive drugs. These seemingly small but significant adjustments open up expectations for a transparent, effective, patient-centered healthcare system.

An important change is that the doctor is required to clearly state the dose, the number of times per day, and the number of days of use. Previously, it was only necessary to write “4 tablets per day, divided into 2 times”, but now it is required to clearly state “2 tablets per time”, to avoid misunderstandings leading to incorrect dosage.

According to Mr. Vuong Anh Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, this regulation not only tightens prescription techniques but also helps patients use medicine properly, limiting forgetting or taking the wrong dose - a common problem at the grassroots level, especially with the elderly.

The Circular also requires adding personal identification information (CCCD, passport) to prescriptions, helping to reduce repeated declarations and support the construction of synchronous electronic health records, towards lifelong health management.

The Circular continues to emphasize the principle of “prescribing only when absolutely necessary”, a content stipulated in the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023. Practitioners are only allowed to prescribe when there is a clear professional basis, consistent with the diagnosis, and absolutely must not abuse drugs.

This is a strong move in the context of widespread antibiotic abuse. Notably, from October 1, 2025, all hospitals must implement electronic prescriptions; by January 1, 2026, it will apply to all medical examination and treatment facilities.

When the electronic prescription system is connected to the pharmacy, the entire process of prescribing, selling, and using drugs, especially controlled drugs such as antibiotics, psychotropic drugs, and narcotics, will be closely monitored. If there is just one deviation, the system can immediately retrieve and handle it.

Circular 26 also marks a strong shift to digital healthcare: traditional medical records will be replaced by electronic medical records. Patients can look up drug information, dosage, and duration of use via QR codes on electronic prescriptions, helping to reduce forgetting medication, taking the wrong dose, and increasing initiative in personal health care.

The digital revolution in healthcare

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that without drastic action, by 2050, antibiotic resistance could kill 10 million people each year and cost $100 trillion in health care costs.

In Vietnam, major hospitals such as Cho Ray and the Central Tropical Hospital have recorded cases of patients having to spend billions of dong on treatment due to multi-resistant bacterial infections. There was even a case of a 15-year-old teenager with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is rare in young people.

Professor Stephen Baker (Cambridge University) said that Southeast Asia is a “hot spot” for antibiotic resistance, due to easy access to antibiotics in both medicine and agriculture. He said that after only 3 years, bacteria can become resistant to a new type of antibiotic.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, warned that drug-resistant bacteria are increasingly diverse, causing the medical profession to run out of treatment options. This situation requires drastic, long-term solutions, from legal regulations to behavioral changes of doctors and people.

Implementing the National Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistance Prevention and Control for the 2023-2030 period, many localities, including Hanoi, set a target that by 2025, at least 50% of the population and 60% of medical and veterinary staff will have a correct understanding of antimicrobial resistance. This is the foundation for building a society that acts correctly, because no matter how modern the system is, if the mindset of "taking antibiotics is safe" still exists, all efforts will be difficult to succeed.

With the regulation to tighten prescriptions and implement electronic prescriptions according to Circular 26, the Ministry of Health is organizing nationwide training programs, instructing on the use of prescription software and improving IT skills for medical staff, especially in remote areas.

According to experts, tightening prescriptions, especially for antibiotics, is not just a technical issue, but a solution to deal with antibiotic resistance, a global health challenge. In Vietnam, the situation of people arbitrarily buying and using antibiotics when not necessary is still very common. Just cough, fever, fatigue can easily buy medicine without a prescription.

A pharmacy owner in Ha Dong (Hanoi) said that he tried to sell only prescription drugs and explained to people, but most of them did not listen. Some even scolded him for being nosy. Not only antibiotics, the abuse of IV fluids is also common. Many people consider IV fluids a "miracle drug" to restore health, while if they can still eat and drink, IV fluids can cause electrolyte disturbances and even threaten their lives.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ke-don-dien-tu-loi-giai-cho-bai-toan-lam-dung-khang-sinh-va-thuoc-dac-tri-d326197.html