Drug utilization study of drugs used in treatment of diabetes mellitus in medicine OPD of a tertiary care hospital in northern India

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder with prevalence among adults being approximately 8% and is expected to rise to 11.4% by the year 2045. The current pharmacotherapy of diabetes mellitus includes treatment with drugs such as insulin and oral antidiabetic agents. The drug utilization data from diabetic patients can provide data for determining pattern of prescription, rationalize drug therapy and ascertain adherence to standard recommendations for treatment of diabetes. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the OPD of department of medicine, KGMU for 8 months. 89 patients with diabetes were analysed for their prescription pattern and the data was recorded on a case record form (CRF). Data for drug utilization as per the core prescribing indicators of WHO for drug utilization studies and data for evaluating drug consumption was calculated in terms of defined daily dose (DDD). Result: Drug utilization pattern of diabetic patients showed an average of 5 drugs per prescription out of which on an average 2.18 drugs were for diabetes. The average daily prescribed dose of antidiabetics was under the define daily dose (DDD) range prescribed by WHO which is indicative of a rational drug prescription pattern. Among the antidiabetic drugs prescribed, metformin 500mg was the most commonly prescribed drug in monotherapy while in combination therapy glimepiride 2mg + metformin 500mg was most commonly prescribed. Conclusion: Our study revealed that drug prescription in diabetic patients are quite rational in terms of prescribed dose and number of drugs being prescribed for each patient. Though certain drugs were being prescribed out of the essential medicine list but fell well within the international guidelines for diabetic pharmacotherapy. The results point towards the need of a frequent and thorough revision of the essential medicine list and strict adherence to it. Keywords: Drug utilization study, Antidiabetic, Essential medicine list, Defined dail