Prescribing patterns of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) at outpatient departments of four hospitals

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to assess non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) prescription patterns at outpatient departments (OPDs) of four hospitals in Aden-Yemen. Method: This hospitals-based, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from May 2018 through August 2018. WHO drug use indictors were selected to evaluate prescription patterns. Data was collected from patient case files at OPDs. Results: Prescriptions of 600 patients containing at least one NSAID were nominated for analysis. More than half (52%) of prescriptions were prescribed for females and 48% for males. NSAIDs were prescribed less commonly for patients over 60 y of age (6%). The most common indications for NSAIDs were infective conditions (29.3%), fever (9.3%) and orthopedic pain (8.1%). The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.5 drugs. Additionally, 18.5% of the prescriptions contained medicines prescribed by generic name while 73.3% were from Essential Medicine List (EML). Diclofenac sodium was the most commonly prescribed NSAID (26.6). The average cost of NSAIDs per prescription was 970 Yemeni Riyals (YR). Conclusion: The prescribing pattern of NSAIDs in Aden city hospitals showed deviation from the standard values of WHO requirements. The result suggests irrational/inappropriate prescribing of NSAIDs, low practice of international nonproprietary names (generic names) in prescriptions and high rate of NSAIDs prescription. In addition, some informational shortage was notable among prescribers concerning prescribing rules.