Abstrakt
Purpose: The WHO core drug prescribing indicators has\ve been shown to be useful in understanding drug use patterns and determining the extent of irrational use of medicines in different settings.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prescription pattern using the WHO core drug prescribing indicators in the outpatient departments of teaching hospitals in the South-South zone of Nigeria.
Methods: Filled patients’ prescriptions sheets from January 2015 to December 2015 were accessed from the records using systematic random sampling method and entered into a data collection sheets. They were evaluated using the WHO core drug prescribing indicators.
Results: Six teaching hospitals were randomly selected and included into the study with a total of 1437 patient encounters and 4635 medicinal products prescribed in 2015. The average number of medicines per patient prescribed was 3.3 (range 1-9). The proportion of medicinal products prescribed with a generic name was 42.5% and the percentage of medicines in the essential medicines list (EML) was 73.5%. The percentage of encounters that included an antibiotic agent was 22.5% and the percentage that included an injection was 6.5%. The most prescribed medicine was paracetamol (25.5%) closely followed by diclofenac (16%).The most prescribed injectable medicine was artemether.
Conclusion: This study showed good prescribing indices regarding injections and antibiotics but a higher index of polypharmacy, poor utilisation of the EML and lack of adherence regarding generic prescribing compared with previously obtained regional recommended optimal values. It is important to identify safety concerns
regarding the commonly used medicines in our environment.
Keywords: WHO core prescribing indicators, drug prescribing, rational drug use, teaching hospitals,prescription pattern, Nigeria.
Résumé
Objectif : Les indicateurs de base de l’OMS en matière de prescription de médicaments se sont révélés utiles pour comprendre les modes de consommation de médicaments et déterminer l’étendue de l’utilisation irrationnelle des médicaments dans différents contextes.
Objectif : Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer le schéma de prescription en utilisant les principaux indicateurs OMS de prescription de médicaments dans les services de consultations externes des hôpitaux d’enseignement universitaires de la région Sud-Sud du Nigéria.
Méthodes : Les fiches de prescription des patients remplies de janvier 2015 à décembre 2015 ont été consultées à partir des enregistrements à l’aide d’une méthode d’échantillonnage aléatoire systématique et entrées dans des fiches de collecte de données. Elles ont été évaluées à l’aide des principaux indicateurs de prescription des médicaments de l’OMS.
Résultats : Six hôpitaux universitaires ont été sélectionnés aléatoirement et inclus dans l’étude avec un total de 1437 rencontres de patients et 4635 médicaments prescrits en 2015. Le nombre moyen de médicaments par patient prescrit était de 3,3 (gamme 1 à 9). La proportion de médicaments prescrits avec un nom générique était de 42,5% et le pourcentage de médicaments dans la liste des médicaments essentiels (LME) était de 73,5%. Le pourcentage de rencontres qui comprenait un agent antibiotique était de 22,5% et le pourcentage qui comprenait une injection était de 6,5%. Le médicament le plus prescrit était le paracétamol (25,5%) suivi de près par le diclofénac (16%). Le médicament injectable le plus prescrit était l’artéméther.
Conclusion : Cette étude a montré de bons indices de prescription concernant les injections et les antibiotiques mais un indice de polypharmacie plus élevé, une mauvaise utilisation de LME et un manque d’adhérence concernant la prescription générique par rapport aux valeurs optimales régionales recommandées précédemment obtenues. Il est important d’identifier les problèmes de sécurité concernant les médicaments couramment utilisés dans notre environnement.
Mots-clés : Indicateurs fondamentaux de prescription de l’OMS, prescription de médicaments, utilisation rationnelle des médicaments, hôpitaux universitaires, schéma de prescription, Nigéria.
Correspondence: Dr Abimbola O. Opadeyi, Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. E-mail: felabimbola@yahoo.com
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