Prescribing patterns of consultants and general practitioners in Hyderabad, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

One hundred randomly selected prescriptions [50 from specialists and 50 from general practitioners] from localities in Hyderabad were analysed for average number of drugs per prescription and the percentage of antibiotics, injections, analgesics, vitamins, and drugs by generic name and from the National Essential Drugs List of Pakistan [NEDLP] prescribed in the total analysed prescriptions. An average of 3.98 drugs per prescription were prescribed by specialists and 4.12 by general practitioners [GPs]. More vitamins and analgesics were prescribed by GPs and more injections by specialists. Antibiotics were present in about the same number in the prescriptions of both specialists and GPs. The GPs prescribed more drugs by generic name and also slightly more from the NEDLP