Biomaterial Database

The Assessment of Drug Use Pattern Using WHO Prescribing Indicators. 2018

Binaya Shrestha, and Sanjaya Mani Dixit

Department of Pharmacology, Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, Sinamangal, Kathmandu, Nepal.

BACKGROUND In order to promote rational drug use in developing countries, assessment of drug use pattern using the World Health Organization drug use indicators is important. The aim of this study was to assess the drug prescription patterns at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, using some of the World Health Organization core drug use indicators. METHODS A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in order to determine current prescribing trends at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital. A total of 605 prescriptions were collected and analyzed in the study. RESULTS The average number of drugs per prescription was 5.85 considering the total amount of prescriptions. Furthermore, assuming each prescription as an individual patient, 64.1% of patients received antibiotics, and 71% of patients received injectable form of drugs. Among antibiotics the most common antibiotics prescribed were Ceftriaxone, Amoxicillin/Cloxacillin, Azithromycin, Cefixime, and Cloxacillin. Only 16.94% of the medicines were prescribed in generic names with the rest 83.06% of the medicines being prescribed in brand names and 47.55% of medicines prescribed were from the National List of Essential Medicines-Nepal. CONCLUSIONS The current study revealed that polypharmacy and prescription writing using brand names were common. Prescriptions writing in generic name needs to be promoted and encouraged. There appears to be a crucial need for the development of prescribing guidelines when it comes to antibiotics.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009390	Nepal	Country located in southern Asia, between China and India. The capital is Kathmandu.	Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
D010818	Practice Patterns, Physicians'	Patterns of practice related to diagnosis and treatment as especially influenced by cost of the service requested and provided.	Clinical Practice Patterns,Physician's Practice Patterns,Clinical Practice Pattern,Pattern, Clinical Practice,Patterns, Clinical Practice,Practice Pattern, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Physician's,Prescribing Patterns, Physician,Physician Practice Patterns,Physician Prescribing Pattern,Physician Prescribing Patterns,Physician's Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Patterns,Practice Pattern, Physician's,Practice Pattern, Physicians',Practice Patterns, Physician,Prescribing Pattern, Physician
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D003430	Cross-Sectional Studies	Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time.	Disease Frequency Surveys,Prevalence Studies,Analysis, Cross-Sectional,Cross Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Survey,Surveys, Disease Frequency,Analyses, Cross Sectional,Analyses, Cross-Sectional,Analysis, Cross Sectional,Cross Sectional Analyses,Cross Sectional Studies,Cross Sectional Survey,Cross-Sectional Analyses,Cross-Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Study,Cross-Sectional Surveys,Disease Frequency Survey,Prevalence Study,Studies, Cross-Sectional,Studies, Prevalence,Study, Cross-Sectional,Study, Prevalence,Survey, Cross-Sectional,Survey, Disease Frequency,Surveys, Cross-Sectional
D004363	Drug Utilization	The utilization of drugs as reported in individual hospital studies, FDA studies, marketing, or consumption, etc. This includes drug stockpiling, and patient drug profiles.	Utilization, Drug,Drug Utilizations,Utilizations, Drug
D006784	Hospitals, Teaching	Hospitals engaged in educational and research programs, as well as providing medical care to the patients.	Hospital, Teaching,Teaching Hospital,Teaching Hospitals
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014944	World Health Organization	A specialized agency of the United Nations designed as a coordinating authority on international health work; its aim is to promote the attainment of the highest possible level of health by all peoples.	Organization, World Health,WHO
D055656	Prescriptions	Directions written for the obtaining and use of PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS; MEDICAL DEVICES; corrective LENSES; and a variety of other medical remedies.	Prescriptions, Non-Drug,Prescriptions, Nondrug,Non-Drug Prescription,Non-Drug Prescriptions,Nondrug Prescription,Nondrug Prescriptions,Prescription,Prescription, Non-Drug,Prescription, Nondrug,Prescriptions, Non Drug
D018954	Drugs, Essential	Drugs considered essential to meet the health needs of a population as well as to control drug costs.	Essential Drugs