A STUDY ON DRUG USE PATTERN USING WHO PRESCRIBING INDICATORS IN IN- PATIENTS OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT IN A RULRAL TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Article history Irrational use of drugs is a major health problem whose consequences include ineffective treatment, unnecessary prescription, development of resistance to antibiotics, adverse effects and economic burden to the patients. A study of prescription patterns is an important tool to determine rational drug therapy and maximize utilization of resources. Periodic assessment of the prescribing pattern in a health facility helps to identify specific drug use problems, promote rational drug prescription and helps in implementation of drug procurement policies on drug prescribing practices.The objective of the study was to assess the drug prescribing practice of the physicians using WHO prescribing indicators in tertiary care teaching hospital and to promote rational prescribing. A descriptive and quantitative survey was carried out taking 205 inpatient prescriptions, designed to evaluate the prescribing practice of the physicians for a period of 6 months.Overall 205 patients were encountered in the study in which 116 were male and 89 were female. A total of 1366 drugs were prescribed with a range of 3 to 5 drugs. 67.32% of the prescriptions were with more than 5 drugs. Brand prescription dominated the generic prescription.57.07% of the total prescriptions were prescribed with antibiotics. 42.44% of the prescriptions were found to be prescribed with no any injectables. Out of 1366 drugs prescribed, 971 (71.03%) were included in National List of Essential Medicine of India 2011.This study reveled that poly-pharmacy and prescription by brand name were common. It is necessary to make doctors aware about the use of drugs and importance of prescribing drugs with their generic names. There is also a need for the development of prescribing guidelines and educational initiatives to encourage the rational and appropriate use of drugs.