An observational and cross-sectional study on drug utilization pattern in the ophthalmology out-patient department of a tertiary care center of Bihar

Abstract

Making affordable drugs accessible to all strata of society is an inevitable part of health care. This situation makes Drug Utilization Study inevitable. With this background, the current study was planned to obtain knowledge on the prescribing pattern and drug utilization trend in ophthalmology department at a tertiary care teaching hospital with ultimate goal to promote rational use of drugs among prescribers. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, Bihar. Prior to the initiation of the study, clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Study period was between March 2021 and August 2021. Prescriptions of 550 patients who were treated during the course of the study were surveyed prospectively by using a specially designed form. The WHO drug use indicators like prescribing indicators and patient care indicators were determinedThe average number of drugs per prescription was 2.6, ranging from 0-7 drugs. The dosage forms, the frequency of administration and duration of treatment of the drugs were recorded for 99.9% of the prescriptions given. This analysis of the prescriptions showed that 93.8% of the prescriptions were written in the form of various trade names. Antibiotics were prescribed in 52.5% of the prescriptions. The present study revealed certain lacunae in the prescribing practices of the Ophthalmologists at the selected institute and this is evident by the low generic prescribing in many prescriptions.