用药 (yòngyào) — to administer medication

用药 (yòngyào)

用药 refers to the act of administering, prescribing, or using medications in a clinical or therapeutic context. Beyond the basic meaning, it encompasses the full pharmacological decision-making process: drug selection, dosing, timing, and route of administration. At C2 level, it is used in pharmacology, clinical pharmacy, and medical ethics with an emphasis on rationality and precision.

Meanings

1. verb to administer medication; to prescribe or use pharmaceutical drugs therapeutically

Example Sentences

抗生素的合理用药是遏制耐药菌株扩散的关键措施。 Kàngshēngsù de hélǐ yòngyào shì èzhì nàiyào jūnzhū kuòsàn de guānjiàn cuòshī. Rational use of antibiotics is a key measure in containing the spread of drug-resistant strains.

妊娠期患者用药需严格遵循安全性分级，避免致畸风险。 Rènshēn qī huànzhě yòngyào xū yángé zūnxún ānquánxìng fēnjí, bìmiǎn zhìjī fēngxiǎn. Medication use during pregnancy must strictly follow safety classifications to avoid teratogenic risk.

该院引入临床决策支持系统，以规范医师的用药行为。 Gāi yuàn yǐnrù línchuáng juécè zhīchí xìtǒng, yǐ guīfàn yīshī de yòngyào xíngwéi. The hospital introduced a clinical decision support system to standardize physician prescribing behavior.

肾功能不全的患者用药剂量须根据肌酐清除率进行调整。 Shèn gōngnéng bùquán de huànzhě yòngyào jìliàng xū gēnjù jīgān qīngchú lǜ jìnxíng tiáozhěng. Drug dosages for patients with renal insufficiency must be adjusted according to creatinine clearance rate.

超说明书用药在临床实践中较为常见，需有充分的循证依据。 Chāo shuōmíngshū yòngyào zài línchuáng shíjiàn zhōng jiào wèi chángjiàn, xū yǒu chōngfèn de xúnzhèng yījù. Off-label drug use is relatively common in clinical practice and requires substantial evidence-based justification.

多药联用时，临床药师须评估潜在的药物相互作用风险。 Duō yào lián yòng shí, línchuáng yàoshī xū pínggū qiánzài de yàowù xiānghù zuòyòng fēngxiǎn. When multiple drugs are used in combination, clinical pharmacists must assess potential drug-drug interaction risks.

Collocations

Usage Notes

用药 is the standard clinical term for pharmaceutical administration and appears in prescriptions, clinical guidelines, pharmacovigilance reports, and drug safety evaluations. It is broader than 服药 (to take medicine, used for patients) because 用药 can refer to the practitioner's act of prescribing or the system of drug use overall.

The key professional concern around 用药 is rationality (合理性) and safety (安全性). In Chinese healthcare policy, 合理用药 is a regulated standard, and institutions are audited on whether prescribing practices meet evidence-based criteria. 用药错误 (medication error) is a formal patient safety category with reporting requirements.

Memory Hook

用 (use/apply) + 药 (medicine/drug) — simply "using medicine," but at the clinical level it implies all the professional judgment that goes into that decision.