Prescribing pattern of oral anti-diabetic agents in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Prescription pattern studies are a tool for assessing the prescribing, dispensing and distribution of medicines. The main aim of assessing prescribing pattern is to facilitate rational use of medicines. So the main aim of the study was to assess the prescribing pattern of oral anti-diabetic agents in type 2 diabetes mellitus, to assess the rationality of the prescribed drugs and also to assess the pattern of co-morbid conditions associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a tertiary care hospital.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology in collaboration with Department of General Medicine. Study was conducted from 1st June 2016 to 31st Aug 2016 (3 months). A total of 100 patients were enrolled after taking written informed consent. A structured case recording form was used to record demographic details and prescription details. The rationality of prescriptions was assessed using American Diabetes Association guidelines 2015.Results: Majority of the patients were prescribed combination therapy (54%) followed by monotherapy (46%). Oral anti-diabetic agents used as monotherapy other than metformin were inappropriate. Among the patients receiving combination therapy majority were receiving a fixed dose combination which were inappropriate.Conclusions: Majority of the patients were receiving fixed dose combinations without justifiable pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic benefits. Such kinds of studies are required to improve rationality of prescription of drugs, decreasing morbidity and mortality of patients and decreasing the cost of treatment.

Analysis of Prescribing Pattern, Efficacy and Adverse Drug Reactions of Anti-diabetic Agents in Type-2 Diabetic Patients at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

“…However, men seem more susceptible to DM due to the consequences of obesity as prevalent in this part of country. Similar results were obtained in several studies from India 6,11,12 .…”

“…Epidemiological studies have shown that family history of diabetes has a correlation to reduced insulin sensitivity in progenies. Positive family history of DM in patients have been reported in several national as well as international studies as reflected in our study too 6,12,15 .…”

Appropriateness and affordability of prescriptions to diabetic patients attending a tertiary hospital in Eastern Uganda: A retrospective cross-sectional study

“…Additionally, a combination of metformin and glibenclamide (oral) is both easy to administer and affordable to most patients [17]. Several studies have reported a similar trend in the prescription of antidiabetics with biguanides and sulfonylureas being the most frequently prescribed [18][19][20]. High insulin prescription could have been aimed at controlling the abnormally high glucose levels in lately diagnosed patients who fail to respond well to the oral hypoglycaemic.…”