Prescribing activities at district health care centers of Western Odisha

Abstract

Background : Currently, rational use of drugs is a major issue in public health care. Rational use of medicines is important for decreasing the cost of therapy, avoiding drug interactions or drug reactions, improving compliance, etc. Studies from different parts of the world have shown different results regarding the rational use of drugs. We conducted this study to know the pattern of prescription and rational use of drugs in rural areas of Odisha to create awareness and knowledge among health care providers, medical students, and public. Methods: This was a prospective study and conducted on 450 prescriptions collected from two district health care centers of Odisha state. These prescriptions collected randomly over 2-month period. Data analyzed according to prescribing indicators formulated by World Health Organization. Results: We found that average number of drugs per encounter was 2.9. 68% drugs were prescribed by generic name. Use of antibiotics (47.7% cases) and injections (8% cases) were frequent. Conclusion: Our finding shows deviation from the rational use of medicines in some aspect. We suggest that there should be strict regulatory guidelines and local policy for implementing rational drug use.