ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the prescription patterns in a psychiatry outpatient department in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methodology: An observational study was conducted from August 2007 to January 2008 in a psychiatry outpatient department in a tertiary care teaching hospital. A total of 300 patients suffering from 3 major classes of psychiatric illnesses (Schizophrenia & other psychotic disorders, Mood disorders, Anxiety disorders as diagnosed by Psychiatrists). The data from the prescription card of the patients was noted in a structured pro forma. Results: Prescription analysis showed that average number of drugs per encounter (Mean ± SD) was 2.53 ± 0.97. Not a single drug was prescribed by generic name. Injection was prescribed in 5% of prescriptions. 67.41% of drugs were prescribed from hospital formulary while 60.03% of drugs were actually dispensed from the hospital pharmacy. In Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, most common antipsychotic drug prescribed was Trifluoperazine followed by Chlorpromazine. In mood and anxiety disorders, most common drug prescribed was Imipramine and Chlordiazepoxide respectively. Conclusion: The present study could serve as a platform upon which further studies in prescription analysis of psychotropic drugs can be undertaken to investigate the scope for improvement in prescribing practices in psychiatry.