Drug utilization study in post-operative cases of obstetrics and gynecology department in a tertiary care hospital

ABSTRACT

Background: After any surgery, drugs are prescribed for analgesia, prevention of infection, nausea, vomiting, and to maintain the hemodynamic status. Drug utilization studies identify the associated problems and aid prescribers to optimize resource allocation and utilization. Aim and Objectives: This study was done to explore the utilization pattern of medications in obstetrics and gynecology post-operative cases for assessment of the following (1) Various medications prescribed, (2) their route of administration, (3) duration of usage, and (4) the World Health Organization (WHO) core drug indicators. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational case-sheet based study was conducted after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Data were collected from case sheets dated May 1, 2018, to October 31, 2018, in the obstetrics and gynecology department using a structured pro format. Results: A total of 240 patients (247 encounters) were prescribed antimicrobials, analgesics, antacids, and intravenous (IV) fluids with an average of 7.25 drugs per encounter. Injectable drug was prescribed to 222 (89.88%) patients. Antimicrobials were prescribed to 168 patients (68.01%); most common being metronidazole which was prescribed to 120 patients (48.58%). Diclofenac was prescribed to 232 patients (93.93%) and Ranitidine to 239 patients (96.76%); these were the most commonly prescribed analgesic and antacid, respectively. Out of 68 different types of drugs prescribed, 16 (23.53%) were prescribed by their generic name and 51 (75%) were from the Essential Medicines WHO Model List (EML) (2015). Conclusions: Antimicrobials were moderately used in management of post-operative cases. Although only about a quarter of medications were prescribed by generic name, nearly three-fourths were from EML.