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Background: Congestive cardiac failure/congestive heart failure (CCF/CHF) is one of the major public health problem seen in more than 23 million people worldwide. Drug utilization studies were stood as a powerful exploratory tool to ascertain the role of drugs in determining the therapeutic efficacy, cost effectiveness and also in minimizing the adverse effects due to it during the treatment of a disease. Aims and Objectives: The present study undertaken to describe the drug utilization pattern in patients of CHF in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This is a Prospective, Observational, and Non-interventional study. The study was undertaken after obtaining the ethical committee approval in the in-patient department of Medicine. Case records of 100 patients were obtained and treatments were noted. Results: The present study had 60 male and 40 female patients admitted and undergoing treatment for CCF. Most of them were above 50 years of age and the most common comorbidity among them were hypertension (25%) followed by diabetes mellitus (19%). The most commonly used drugs were diuretics and antihypertensives. Conclusion: In our study, patients use of more than 2 ?3 drugs (Polytherapy) was found very common than use of one drug (Monotherapy).
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OBJECTIVES@#This study evaluated the antibiotic prescribing patterns in pediatric patients in the Out Patient Department (OPD) of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) where it may encourage drug monitoring and improvement in the utilization of antibiotics in the department.@*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#A descriptive, cross-sectional study involving patient encounters selected using convenience sampling was conducted at the outpatient department of PCMC. All previously healthy pediatric patients aged 3 months to 18 years diagnosed with pediatric community- acquired pneumonia (PCAP) with no known acute and chronic comorbidities were included. The observed values of the antibiotic prescribing indicators were compared with the optimal values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Index of Rational Drug Prescribing (IRDP) was calculated.@*RESULTS@#A total of 600 patients diagnosed with PCAP were included in the study seen at the PCMC OPD from January 2020 to July 2022. Ninety-six percent of the patient encounters had at least one antibiotic prescribed (SD + 0.20). The average number of medicines prescribed per patient encounter was 2.05 (SD + 0.85). Of these, 100% were prescribed by generic name and were prescribed from the essential drug list. The most commonly prescribed medications were antibiotics (43.17%) with coamoxiclav (42.93%), amoxicillin (37.76%), and cefuroxime (7.59%) being the top three commonly prescribed antibiotics.@*CONCLUSION@#With respect to the IRDP, PCMC scores well with 3.16 where the most rational score is 4. However, this study highlights the high occurrence of prescribing antibiotics in the institution.
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Outpatients , PediatricsABSTRACT
Background: The first COVID-19 case was reported in a Chinese province named Wuhan in December 2019, which later spread to 215 countries worldwide infecting 47.9 crores of people and caused 61.1 lakhs of deaths, until March 2022. In India alone, 4.3 crores were infected and 5.17 lakhs deaths were reported until the above said period. Aims and Objectives: In this study, we analyze the drug utilization pattern of mainline and supportive drugs used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients admitted in a tertiary care center. The role of repurposed drugs in the prescription pattern of COVID-19 patients would also be analyzed. Materials and Methods: The study included all the COVID-19 patients admitted in this institution between April 2021 and June 2021. These included patients were laboratory-confirmed positive cases and must have received medical treatment for a minimum of 3 days in the hospital. Pregnant women and children admitted with COVID-19 infection were not included in this study. All the data for this study were retrospectively extracted from the medical records department of the institution. A total of 420 patients have been admitted in COVID-19 ward between April 2021 and June 2021, out of which 300 case records which fulfilled the above said criteria were selected for further scrutiny. Results: Among 300 patients, there were 192 males (64%) admitted with COVID-19 infection compared to 108 females (36%). Predominant age group of distribution of COVID-19 cases was between 50 and 60 years (42%). One hundred and eighty-eight COVID-19 cases had one or more comorbid conditions along with COVID-19 infection. There were 12 deaths among the selected 300 cases during their hospital stay. The most common combination used in the treatment of COVID-19 was an antibacterial, antiviral, antithrombotic, and an anti-inflammatory drug. About 76% (n = 228) of the admitted COVID-19 patients received this combination along with other supportive or symptomatic treatment during the stay in hospital. About 88% (n = 284) of cases had an antiparasitic drug ivermectin in a daily dose of 12 mg for a period of 5 days. Ivermectin is one among the repurposed drugs used in the treatment of COVID-19 infection. Proton-pump inhibitors such as omeprazole 20 mg twice daily in oral route or pantoprazole 40 mg in parenteral route were the supportive drugs used in most prescriptions. Conclusion: Except the high empirical usage of antibiotics, the remaining frontline drugs for COVID-19 such as antiviral, corticosteroids, and antithrombotics were utilized in an appropriate manner. A high positive clinical outcome observed in this study can be attributed to the expertise gained by the physicians over the period of time in handling the COVID-19 infection.
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Background: The pattern of drug use in a hospital setting needs to be monitored intermittently to analyze their rationality. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prescribing pattern as per World Health Organization core drug use indicators. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective cross-sectional, single-center, and observational study. A total of 620 prescriptions were included and analyzed in dermatology outpatient attendees at a tertiary care teaching hospital. A predesigned pro forma was used to collect and compile data. All the statistical analysis was performed with the Microsoft Excel office 2019 version. Results: The average number of drugs per encounter was 4.03. The percentage of encounters with antibiotics was 33.38%. There was no prescription having an injection. The drugs prescribed by their generic names were 16.61%. Drugs prescribed from local institutional essential drugs list were 42.11%. Conclusion: Studies based on drug prescribing patterns are a very important tool not only to guide physicians to improve their prescribing habits but also for hospital administration to recognize the lacunae in drug prescribing and formulate guidelines to facilitate rational drug use.
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Background: Children are more prone to suffer from recurrent infections of respiratory tract due to their immature developed airway, lungs, and immunity, which makes lower respiratory tract infections as one of the most commonly encountered diseases in PICU and one of the leading causes of death among children below 5 years of age. Antimicrobials are one of the commonly prescribed drugs for respiratory tract infections which act as double edged sword as it has saved many lives from dreadful infections and also its injudicious use can give rise to antimicrobial resistance that can endanger many patients’ lives. Aim and Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the pattern of antimicrobial drugs used in in-patients admitted to pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory tract infections and to identify the factors to decide the selection of antibiotics. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in Pediatrics along with Pharmacology Department of VIMS, Bellary. After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee, the study was conducted. Patients were enrolled in the study after obtaining written informed consent from the patient’s informants. Children of age group 1?12 years, suffering from infections of respiratory tract admitted in PICU who were treated with antibiotics were analyzed in our study. Based on the clinical presentation, the diagnosis of RTI was done by treating pediatrician. Results: In our institute, children of under 5 age group, that is, 2?5 years, about 40% of patients were hospitalized in PICU. Male patient’s preponderance was present about 57.5%. Common most respiratory infection seen was bronchopneumonia (46.5%), followed by lower respiratory tract infection (20.5%) and lobar pneumonia (14.5%). All of these patients were involved with other associated conditions, namely, febrile convulsions, severe anemia, and respiratory distress. Conclusion: Prescribing pattern in pediatric intensive care unit showed the preference of using two antibiotics to treat respiratory tract infections. Ceftriaxone and combination of amoxicillin + clavulanic acid were preferred as first-line antibiotics. Amikacin and vancomycin were used as secondline drugs. Piperacillin, tazobactam, and vancomycin were the next line antimicrobial agents. These drugs were given to patients by parenteral routes such as IV and IM.
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Background: Evaluation of the pattern of fixed dose combinations (FDCs) prescribing among the practitioners in India. Aims and Objectives: Aims and objectives of the study was to find out prevalence, prescribing pattern and rationality of FDCs in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: Photocopies of one thousand prescriptions of general practitioners, containing 800 FDCs were randomly collected from few big pharmacies of Jhalawar district of Rajasthan and analyzed for the different pattern of prescribing and rationalism. Results were expressed as percentages. After excluding the repetitions, the numbers of FDCs were 218, which were considered for final analysis. Results: Out of 218 FDCs, the most commonly prescribed FDCs were of anti-microbial agents followed by anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-hypertensive drugs. The FDCs were maximum from the department of medicine (30.2%), followed by surgery (20.2%) and Obstetrics (16.9%). Out of 218 FDCs, only 13.3% were rational, and rest of the FDCs was irrational. 94% of all FDCs prescribed with brand names. Conclusions: In our study, most of the prescriptions contains irrational FDCs. Physicians have no knowledge about the essential drugs and FDCs. Therefore, physicians and regulators should be educated regularly by seminars and conferences. Government laws should be made mandatory. Implementation of central drug standard control organizations guidelines on industries for manufacture of FDCs must be made compulsory.
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Background: Altered hepatic, renal and GIT function along with multiple comorbidities makes use of certaindrugs inappropriate in geriatric population. Identification and rectification of mistakes and lacunae in thecurrent prescribing pattern is crucial for ensuring appropriate and rational prescribing. Purpose: To study theprescribing pattern and medication inappropriateness in geriatric patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital.Material and Methods: Details of the prescribed drugs were obtained from the files of the 60 hospitalisedgeriatric patients and the prescribing pattern was studied. Medication inappropriateness was assessed and theinappropriate drugs were classified into various categories using Beers criteria given by American GeriatricSociety. Number of prescriptions having potential for drug interactions was also calculated. Results: Averagenumber of drugs per prescription was 7.7 with antibiotics being the most commonly prescribed drugs.49.13% were prescribed by brand names. 12.12% drugs were prescribed inappropriately and 20% prescriptionshad one or more inappropriate drug. Potential drug-drug interactions that should be avoided in older adultswere found in 11.6% prescriptions. Conclusion: A considerable fraction of the prescriptions of geriatricpatients were inappropriate and incidence of polypharmacy was very high. There is a pressing need to educatethe physicians about the mistakes in the prescribing pattern of geriatric patients and the adverse effect it canhave on the health of these patients.
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Aim:There is a scarcity of data regarding gender and age related aspects of antiplatelet drugs utilizationin the outpatient setting. Thus, the objective of the present study was to determine the age-and gender-related differences in the outpatient use of antiplatelet drugs in Alkharj.Methodology:This is a retrospective study that include the assessment of electronic prescriptions in the outpatient setting that include an antiplatelet drug in 2018.Results:Ticagrelor was prescribed mainly for patients more than 60 years old (84.62%). Clopidogrel was prescribed mainly for patients more than 50 years old (79.76%) and aspirin also was prescribed mainly for patients more than 50 years old (71.67%). Generally, most of the patients who received antiplatelet agents were male (52.76%).Conclusion:The present study showed that there were differences in prescribing antiplatelet agents between different gender and different ages. So it is important to know the prescribing trends and to give the appropriate drugs based on several factors such as gender and age. It is expected that in the future, antiplatelet therapy may be based on age and on endogenous sex hormone level or genetic female/male differences
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Genitourinary tract infections are some of the most common infections in females. These problems are a challenge in terms of diagnosis and treatment. The present study was conducted to evaluate the prescribing pattern in three of the most common types of female genitourinary tract infections.METHODSA prospective and observational study was conducted on genitourinary tract infections in female patients at the gynaecology outpatient department in a tertiary care university hospital.RESULTSMajority of the infected female patients were in 26 - 35 years age group (31.8%) followed by 36 - 45 years age group (25.9%). The common infection noticed was urinary tract infection (42.2%), followed by pelvic inflammatory disease (32.2%) and vaginitis (25.5%) in infected female patients. The types of antibiotics prescribed for urinary tract infection were aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins and penicillins. The commonly prescribed antibiotics for pelvic inflammatory disease were tetracyclines, azoles, fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, and for vaginitis azoles and aminoglycosides. The most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics for urinary tract infection, pelvic inflammatory disease and vaginitis were fluoroquinolones (11.8%), azoles (11.8%) and aminoglycosides (15.7%), respectively. Oral route was the preferred mode of administration (71%), followed by rectal (suppositories, 17.2%) and topical (cream, 11.8%).CONCLUSIONSYoung married women in this urban Indian community have a high prevalence of genitourinary tract infections but seldom seek treatment. Education and outreach are needed to reduce the stigma, embarrassment and lack of knowledge related to genitourinary tract infections
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Objective: The objective of the present study is to compare the prescribing patterns and cost of illness of Rheumatoid arthritis patients in two different hospitals. Methods: This is an observational study conducted in two different tertiary care hospitals in Salem district after obtaining approval of the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) (Registration Number EC/PHARM D/2019.06). A sample size of 102 (above 18 y) patients were included (52 from group 1 hospital and 50 from group 2 hospital). The study was conducted over a period of 6 mo from February 2019 to July 2019. The cost was collected by a patient face-to-face interview. Results: Out of 102 patients, females (57.84%) patients were more prevalent than men with the age group of 50-59 y in both groups. Methotrexate was most commonly prescribed drug in group 1(36.5%), whereas in group 2 are Sulfasalazine (37%). Among the DMARDs unit cost of methotrexate is high but the monthly cost was high for Sulfasalazine, because the methotrexate is prescribed on a once-weekly basis while sulfasalazine is taken twice a day. The cost of NSAIDs comes around 46.47% of the total drug cost of the month. In steroids, cost comes around 11.73% of the total drug cost. Among the direct cost of two groups, the drug cost and transportation cost is higher when compared with other costs. Indirect costs such as lost wages, due to disease is higher in group 1. Conclusion: The study concluded that the burden of RA to the patient is huge, Appropriate standard prescribing guidelines should be developed and implementation of the rational drug must be promoted. Polypharmacy was reported in group 1 hospital, the progression of symptoms was the same in both hospitals, it increases the cost of therapy and overall cost of patients. Hence it becomes vital to diagnose and control the disease at an early stage to control the economic burden on the patient.
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@#Drug utilization of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) in a private healthcare setting is useful to examine the prescribing pattern of OHAs, especially the newer fixed dose combination (FDC) products. This study was aimed to evaluate the prescribing pattern of OHAs indicated for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), to determine the costs of OHAs prescribed and total cost per prescription in the treatment of T2DM in an outpatient department of a private hospital located in central Malaysia. Retrospective review of electronic medical record (EMR) study design was adopted. Patient’s demographic characteristics, medications prescribed, prescribers’ details and cost per prescription were documented. Defined daily dose (DDD) of OHAs and drug cost were calculated. Research ethics protocol was approved and no personal data was collected. Out of the 396 EMR screened, 135 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and subsequently were analysed. In term of demography, mean age of the sample was 51 years old with 59% were male and ethnicity composition of 71% Malay and 19% Chinese. Metformin and “metformin+dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor” (DPP-4i) were the most commonly prescribed single-drug and FDC OHA, respectively. Average cost of OHAs and total cost per prescription was less than USD 68 and USD 185, respectively. Meanwhile, FDC covered 28.91% of incidences of prescriptions, but 44.6% of cost and SGTL-2i covered 9% incidences of prescriptions and 16.29% of cost. Prescribing pattern of OHA was appropriate based on patient’s T2DM diagnosis, however, dosage given were not in accordance with WHO DDD.
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ABSTRACTBackground: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the prescribing pattern of hypolipidaemic drugs in the outpatient department of cardiology in a tertiary care hospital.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of cardiology for the period of 3 months. A total of 526 prescriptions were analyzed for variants such as the disease patterns, the type of hypolipidaemic drugs which are prescribed for those diseases, the prescribing daily dose of the hypolipidaemic drugs and the prescribing daily dose/daily defined dose ratio of the drugs.Results: On evaluation of the prescriptions, it was conferred that both the patients of normal lipid profile (34.77%) and abnormal lipid profile (65.18%) were prescribed hypolipidaemic drug. Diabetes with hypertension (35.74%) was the most common disease for which hypolipidaemic drugs were prescribed. Atorvastatin (30.98%) was the most common drug which was prescribed as monotherapy, whereas atorvastatin with aspirin and clopidogrel (17.49%) was the most common drug prescribed in combination.Conclusions: Use of statin has become very prevalent with increasing trends of use in both normal and abnormal lipid profile patients, suggesting consideration of rational use of statins to follow good prescribing pattern so that morbidity and mortality can be prevented.
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Background: A drug utilization study may be helpful to identify the problems, suggest the remedial measures and promote rational use. Antimicrobials are commonly used to treat infections caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi, evidently require huge prescriptions in India.Methods: A prospective, observational study was carried out for a period of four months from February to May 2019 in the Department of ENT (OPD) at NRI Medical College and General Hospital. Prescriptions were collected randomly from around 300 patients attending the ENT outpatient department after obtaining informed consent. The data were collected in the predesigned proforma for analysis.Results: 300 ENT patients were selected for the study, 62% were male and 38% were female. Out of 300 patients 190 ear disorders, 50 nasal, and 60 throat infections. Antimicrobial therapy were most commonly instituted in ear diseases (67.66%), nose (16.95%) and throat (15.37%) respectively. The most commonly used agents were amoxicillin with clavulanic acid- n=295, cefixime- n=1260, gentamicin- n=200, ciprofloxacin- n=157, azithromycin- n=199, nitroimidazoles (metronidazole- n=111).Conclusions: Cefixime and amoxicillin+clavulanic acid combination was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic in our study. Interventions to rectify the use of brand names are necessary to promote rational drug use. An antibiotic policy has to be developed for the doctors in treating infections so that rationality in using the antibiotics will be developed and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance can be reduced.
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Seizure is a very common manifestation of a variety of disorders in pediatric age groups. The choice of antiepileptic drugs varies in different age groups in various doses, routes and frequencies. The perception of the care giver regarding proper use of medications is also equally important for success of pharmacotherapy. This study aimed to explore the prescribing pattern of seizure medications in pediatrics inpatients of a tertiary care hospital and assess the parent’s knowledge on drug intake simultaneously. Methods: A prospective observational study carried out with the prescription data of 107 children aged less than 18 years admitted in the pediatric department with the diagnosis of seizure and analyzed with descriptive statistics to obtain drug utilization indices. A questionnaire survey was employed on the parents of the children to assess their knowledge. Results: Neonatal presentation with seizure was more common than older pediatric age group. Commonest causes of convulsions were birth asphyxia with its sequel (84.78 %), CNS infection (39.34%) and epilepsy (32.79%). Monotherapy was highly prevalent (73.80%) with phenobarbitone and phenytoin being commonest drugs in neonatal and post-neonatal populations respectively. No newer generation antiepileptics were used. Generic prescribing was 28.03% with all the drugs being enlisted in essential medicine list. Average no. of anticonvulsants per prescription was 1.28. Parent’s knowledge about frequency of drug administration and food interaction was largely deficient. Conclusion: Monotherapy with older antiepileptics are preferred in pediatric indoor patients presenting with seizures. Parent education on appropriate use of medication is needed to rationalize the therapy.
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Background: With the changing lifestyle, the incidence of psychiatric illness is increasing day by day. And the mental illnesses not only affect the social and personal life but also adds additional economic burden affecting quality of life of the person. So, proper diagnosis and management of psychiatric illnesses is utmost important. So, keeping this in mind, the present study has been conducted to evaluate drug utilization pattern of psychotropic medicines in tertiary care centre of Bastar region.Methods: After obtaining approval from Institutional Ethics Committee, present study was conducted in 237 patients for a period of 3 months from February 2019 to April 2019. The data of patients attending psychiatry OPD was collected in a structured case record form. The data were analysed using graph pad prism version 6.0.Results: Out of total 237 patients, males 136(57.38%) outnumbered females 101 (42.62%). The major psychiatric illness reported was schizophrenia (45.99%) followed by bipolar affective disorder (16%) and generalized anxiety disorder (14.35%). Average number of psychotropic drugs per prescription was 1.74±1.02. The percentage of drugs prescribed from state Essential drug List (EDL) was 93.05%.Conclusions: Overall, the principles of rational prescribing was tried to be maintained, as polypharmacy has been avoided and most of the drugs were prescribed from the state EDL. The use of generic drugs should be increased to make prescriptions more rational and to cut down the cost of the therapy which may be helpful in increasing the quality of life of the patients.
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Background: Diabetes Mellitus is a worldwide growing problem causing threat to patient's health because of its association with various complications and comorbidities. It is a chronic disease requiring lifelong medication which further adds to the economic burden. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescribing pattern and to do pharmacoeconomic analysis of prescribed antidiabetic drugs.Methods: This observational cross sectional study was conducted for 12 months duration in Outpatient Pharmacy of tertiary care hospital. Prescriptions with antidiabetic drugs were captured and evaluation of prescribing pattern along with pharmacoeconomic analysis of antidiabetic drugs was done.Results: A total of 611 prescriptions with antidiabetic drugs were analyzed. There were total 4034 drugs in all prescriptions with a mean of 6.6 drugs per prescription. 4.28% of drugs were prescribed by generic name and 58.9% of prescribed drugs were from essential drug list. Dual drug therapy was prescribed in maximum number of patients (42.2%) followed by monotherapy (28.8%). More commonly prescribed class of antidiabetic drugs was biguanides as monotherapy (n=119) and its combination with sulfonylureas was prescribed maximally among dual drug therapy (n=158). Cost of monthly therapy for antidiabetic drugs prescribed as monotherapy was least with Biguanides (? 98.89/ month) whereas combination of biguanides and thiazolidinediones was least expensive among dual drug therapy (? 216/ month).Conclusions: Biguanides was the most common prescribed class of antidiabetic drugs among monotherapy and its combination with sulfonylureas was most prescribed as dual drug therapy and both of these therapies were economical.
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Background: Topical steroid is most commonly prescribed in non-infective dermatological conditions. Periodical Prescription audit is mandatory for the effective management. Hence the present study is designed to assess the prescribing pattern and cost analysis of topical steroids for various skin disorders in the dermatology OPD of a teaching hospital.Methods: This is a prospective observational study conducted in dermatology OPD of a teaching hospital from Jan-Mar 2019 in patients prescribed with topical steroids in all age groups after obtaining IEC approval. Data was analyzed for prescription pattern and cost analysis using descriptive statistics and expressed in percentage.Results: A total of 90 prescriptions were analyzed among which males were 45% and females were 55%, the common indications were eczema-27.7%, atopic dermatitis-25.5%, psoriasis-16.6%, dermatoses-13.3%, lichen planus-7.77% etc. Topical steroids commonly prescribed were super potent (Clobetasol 34.4% and Halobetasol 22.2%). Cream and ointment formulation were commonly used. Common adverse reactions were skin atrophy, hypopigmentation, acne. In prescribing pattern, specification of strength and quantity were lacking whereas instructions regarding area of application-44.4%, route of administration-83.3%, frequency and duration-91% were noted. In cost analysis, comparison is made between similar potency and clinical outcome. Of which, Clobetasol 0.05% and Betamethasone 0.01% is found to be cost effective compared to Halobetasol 0.05% and Mometasone 0.1% respectively.Conclusions: This study provides a limelight on prescribing pattern of topical steroids and emphasize periodic audit to rationalize the prescription with cost effectiveness.
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Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and Hypertension (HTN) are the two major chronic disorders frequently coexisting, with increased incidence with age. HTN is about twice as common in patients with DM. Prescribing pattern are powerful tools to ascertain the role of drugs in society. There are many variations in prescribing patterns of antihypertensive drugs in patients with HTN and DM. Since these patients requires lifelong treatment it has enormously increased the burden of patients particularly in developing countries like India. Physician needs to be more concerned while choosing drugs for the patients with HTN and DM. In a tertiary care hospital, there is a real need for drug utilization study to determine the appropriate, more safe and effective patterns of drug therapy among diabetic hypertensive patients.Methods: A Cross sectional observational study was conducted in Maharajah’s Institute of Medical Sciences from December 2016 to May 2018. A total of 360 prescriptions of the patients with hypertension and coexisting diabetes were analyzed. The prescriptions prescribed to these patients were collected, assessed and the following parameters were noted. The treatment pattern of different group of drugs for HTN with co-existing DM was evaluated. The intended work was divided into three steps: Step 1: To collect the prescriptions of hypertensive patients with DM. Step 2: To separate the prescriptions prescribing anti hypertensive Drugs. Step 3: To statistically analyze the prescriptions. Relevant information was recorded in a structured proforma & data was evaluated.Results: In this study it was found that 36% of the patients were in the age group of 51-60 years with female preponderance among diabetic hypertensive patients. 77% of patients were treated with single antihypertensive drug and 23% of patients were treated with antihypertensive drug combinations. In monotherapy, telmisartan was most commonly prescribed. In combination therapy, amlodipine and telmisartan followed by amlodipine and atenolol were used.Conclusions: In this study monotherapy was preferred compared to combination therapy and adherence to the JNC 7 guidelines was good except in case of usage of diuretics.
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Background: The main objective of prescription pattern analysis is to assess the rationality of drug use. It has been found that cardiovascular disease is the most frequent cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. This study is to estimate the prescribing pattern and adverse drug reactions in patients with cardiovascular diseases.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted for a period of 2 months in cardiology outpatient department.100 patients who fulfilled the study criteria were observed. The central drug standard control organisation (CDSCO) reporting forms were used for the collection of adverse drug reactions. Causality assessment was done by using the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring, the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) scoring system and severity assessment by modified Hartwig and Siegel scale.Results: The study group consists of 79% male and 21% females. Average number of drugs per prescription was 4.65. Most commonly prescribed drugs were antiplatelets (32%) followed by statins (18.27%) and the least common were calcium channel blockers (1.72%) and cardiac glycosides (0.86%). A total of 174 adverse drug reactions were reported out of which 24.7% were myalgia due to statins, 15.5% were cough due to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and 14.3% were gastritis due to antiplatelets.Conclusions: Antiplatelets, statins and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors dominated the prescribing pattern. Myalgia, cough, gastritis, insomnia by atorvastatin, enalapril, aspirin, beta blockers respectively were found to be the most commonly reported ADRs among the cardiovascular drugs.
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Background: Psychiatric illness is a major but often underreported health burden. The field of psychopharmacotherapy is continuously evolving therefore needs monitoring to prevent irrationality. In this setting, authors analyzed the prescribing pattern of psychotropic drugs while simultaneously monitoring prescription quality in a tertiary care teaching private hospital.Methods: A 6 month-prospective observational study was conducted in psychiatry out-patient department. Prescription pattern was analyzed using World Health Organization (WHO) drug use indicators. The quality of the prescriptions was assessed as per prescription writing guidelines issued by The Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal.Results: Of the 745 prescriptions analyzed, depression and psychosis constituted the bulk of diagnosed cases irrespective of any gender predominance. The average number of psychotropic drugs per prescription was 2.85±1.48. Antidepressants, sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytics are most commonly prescribed drugs. 37.58% of psychotropic drugs were given as fixed dose combination, most common being risperidone with trihexyphenidyl. Only 2.91% of the drugs were prescribed in generic name whereas 53.99% were enlisted in national essential medicine list 2015. Polypharmacy and therapeutic duplication were noted in 41% and 26.84 % of prescriptions and dose, duration and frequency were not mentioned in 2.68%, 53.02% and 19.00% of the prescription respectively.Conclusions: Use of psychotropic drugs follows closely with different treatment guideline, though routine uses of central anticholinergics with atypical antipsychotics are not recommended. Despite high utilization of NLEM, more generic prescribing, correct prescription dosing schedule, avoidance of polypharmacy and non-Judicious use of multivitamin FDCs may significantly improve treatment outcome.