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An audit of outpatient prescriptions and drug use pattern at a tertiary care centre of Central India

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Original Article

Author Details : Niket Rai, Ratinder Jhaj, Balakrishnan S.

Volume : 5, Issue : 1, Year : 2018

Article Page : 33-36

https://doi.org/10.18231/2393-9087.2018.0008

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Abstract

Objective: A cross sectional observational survey to assess the drug use pattern and habit of writing rational prescription followed by a feedback to the prescribers to ensure the best practice in writing prescriptions.
Materials and Methods: Prescriptions were analyzed in the month of January 2016 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, MP, India using the WHO core prescribing indicators. In addition, quality of prescription writing was also assessed in terms of legibility and completeness of information e.g. whether diagnosis, strength, frequency and duration of drug prescribed was written or not. The collected data was analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2007. Statistical analysis had been done to obtain frequency, average/mean, and percentage.
Result: Total number of prescription analyzed were 503, contained a total of 1118 drugs i.e. on an average 2.2 drugs per prescription. Drugs prescribed by generic name and injectable route were 71(6.3%) and 9(1.0%) respectively. A total of 163 antimicrobials were prescribed in 117(23.2%) prescriptions out of which 108 were anti-bacterials. A large proportion (60.1%) drugs prescribed were not included in the NLEM. Incomplete and illegible prescription were 357(70.9%) and 219(43.5%) respectively.
Conclusion: This prescription audit revealed that polypharmacy, overuse of injections and unnecessary use of antimicrobials were not a concern in the target prescribers. But there is a scope for improvement in generic prescribing, use of essential medicines, better quality of prescription writing in terms of completeness of information provided and legibility of prescriber details.

How to cite : Rai N, Jhaj R, Balakrishnan S., An audit of outpatient prescriptions and drug use pattern at a tertiary care centre of Central India. Indian J Pharm Pharmacol 2018;5(1):33-36

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