Prescribing patterns at primary health care level in the Asir region, Saudi Arabia: an epidemiologic study.

Out of 208 primary health care centres (PHCCs) in the Asir region, southwestern Saudi Arabia, a stratified random sample of 23 PHCCs was randomly chosen. Data regarding all the medical consultations (66,438) provided by all PHCCs physicians (49) and their prescriptions were collected to study prescribing patterns. The data were collected from the health information system of the PHCCs without the physicians' knowledge. The study showed that more than two-thirds of medical consultations (71.5%, 47,494) ended by prescribing medications. The average number of drug items prescribed for the individual patient was 1.44. The leading missing items in the studied prescriptions were, for how long should medication be taken (32.9%), the patient's name (15.8%) and the family health record number (6.5%). Prescribing drugs by generic name is very minimal among physicians (2.9%). The groups of drugs commonly prescribed were analgesics-antipyretics (61.9%), antibiotics (56.2%), cough medications (26.6%) and vitamins (22.7%). The observed defects identify fields to be addressed in continuing medical education programmes aimed at encouraging more rational prescribing among PHC physicians.

Continuing medical education in primary health care in Saudi Arabia: an epidemiologic study of physicians' needs in the Asir region.

A cross sectional survey was carried out among doctors working in all the 238 Primary Health Care Centers in the Asir Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia using self administered questionnaire. The response rate was 90.1%. The highly needed aspects of clinical practice include emergency skills (82.3%), diagnostic skills (74.4%) and management of common diseases (65.2%). Aspects that rated low include physical examination techniques, prescription skills, history taking and referral. Areas in medicine that rated high on the doctors' list of needs include critical care (60.7%), obstetrics and gynecology (52.7%) and family and community medicine (52.8%). The most highly preferred means of fulfilling these needs include clinical rounds (73.2%), consultation with specialists (69.8%) and regular lectures (62.5%). The objective of establishing baseline data which are essential for future continuing medical education (CME) planning in the Asir region was achieved in this study. Based on the doctors needs, it was recommended that regional CME units be established and related organizations and institutions that will jointly plan a program of CME be identified.