Prescription analysis of pediatric outpatient practice in Nagpur city

Abstract

Background:Medication errors are probably one of the most common types of medical errors, as medication is the most common health-care intervention. Knowing where and when errors are most likely to occur is generally felt to be the first step in trying to prevent these errors.Objective:To study prescribing patterns and errors in pediatric OPD prescriptions presenting to four community pharmacies across Nagpur city and to compare the prescription error rates across prescriber profiles.Materials and Methods:The study sample included 1376 valid pediatric OPD prescriptions presenting to four randomly selected community pharmacies in Nagpur, collected over a period of 2 months. Confirmed errors in the prescriptions were reviewed and analyzed. The core indicators for drug utilization studies, mentioned by WHO, were used to define errors.Results:The 1376 prescriptions included in the study were for a total of 3435 drugs, prescribed by 41 doctors. Fixed dose formulations dominated the prescribing pattern, many of which were irrational. Prescribing by market name was almost universal and generic prescriptions were for merely 254 (7.4%) drugs. The prescribing pattern also indicated polypharmacy with the average number of drugs per encounter of 2.5. Antibiotics were included in 1087 (79%) prescriptions, while injectable drugs were prescribed in 22 (1.6%) prescriptions. The prescription error score varied significantly across prescriber profiles.Conclusion:The findings of our study highlight the continuing crisis of the irrational drug prescribing in the country.

Drug prescribing pattern for under-fives in a paediatric clinic in south-western Nigeria

“…This very high level of antibiotic prescription among children is also reflected in studies from other developing countries as shown by the 81.3%, 79%, 63.4% and 51.6% found in studies conducted in Sudan, India, Gambia and Bahrain (11,12,14,16). The reasons for this prescribing habit among prescribers may not be far-fetched; studies have shown that while the cause of most acute respiratory tract infections and diarrheal disease is indeed viral, many medical doctors and care-givers still treat with antibiotics (17,18).…”

“…Risk et al, in a study among children in Gambia, found a mean of 2.2 while results from two similar studies in India showed a mean of 2.5 and 2.9 (11). Drugs as injections were prescribed in 5.9%, slightly higher than 3.5% and 1.6% reported in other studies (12,14). Prescribing by generic name is one of the major points of rational prescribing as it promotes improved access and affordability.…”

Prescribing pattern of antibiotics in the department of pediatrics in a tertiary care medical college hospital in Northern India

“…14,18 This preliminary study has given an insight into the pattern of AMA prescribing upon which future intervention studies may be based to promote rational drug use. Antibiotic policy and standard treatment guidelines are being framed.…”

Assessment of prescription pattern and monitoring adverse drug reaction of antibiotics in paediatric inpatients

“…Cephalosporins were maximally prescribed followed by aminoglycosides which is also the trend seen in another study done by Pandey AA on prescription analysis of paediatric outpatient practice in Nagpur city. 2,10 In the present study, the total antibiotics prescribed contains cephalosporin 152 (80%), aminoglycoside 18 (9%), quinolones 13 (7%), antibiotic combination 4 (2%), B-lactamase inhibitors 2 (1%), macrolide antibiotics 1 (1%) each. 80% of antibiotics prescribed was cephalosporin which include 99% of ceftriaxone and 1% of cefixime.…”