1. An Evaluation of Drug Prescribing Patterns and Prescription Completeness.
- Author
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Idris, Saadeldin Ahmed, Hussien, Tarig Mahmoud Ahmed, Al-Shammari, Faraj Farih, Nagi, Hatim Adam, Bashir, Abdelhafiz Ibrahim, Elhussein, Gamal Eldin Mohamed Osman, Abdalla, Rania Abdeen Hussain, Mohammed, Halima Mustafa Elagib, Abdelaziz, Wafa Elhassan, Alshammari, Amal Daher, Alreshidi, Hend Faleh Hamad, Alshammari, Hind Naif Mhaileb, and Ibrahim, Somaia Ibrahim Bashir
- Subjects
CROSS-sectional method ,INAPPROPRIATE prescribing (Medicine) ,ANTIBIOTICS ,MEDICAL protocols ,MEDICAL prescriptions ,ESSENTIAL drugs ,OUTPATIENT services in hospitals ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,POLYPHARMACY ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,ANTIHYPERTENSIVE agents ,PHYSICIAN practice patterns ,NASAL vasoconstrictors ,DRUG prescribing ,DRUGS ,COMPARATIVE studies ,DATA analysis software ,GENERIC drugs ,HOSPITAL pharmacies - Abstract
Background/Objectives: The rational use of medicines, in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, is crucial for optimizing healthcare outcomes. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate drug prescribing patterns and assess prescription completeness based on the WHO core drug use criteria. A comprehensive analysis was conducted at the University Clinic in the Northern region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: The study assessed drug prescribing patterns and examined prescription completeness by analyzing various parameters recommended by the WHO core drug use criteria. Results: Upon analyzing the 615 prescriptions, it was observed that each prescription had a mean of 2.56 prescribed drugs. Multiple medicines per prescription were prevalent in 71.4%, whereas polypharmacy was evident in 2.9%. Analgesics were the most frequently prescribed medication, accounting for 50.4% of the prescriptions, followed by supplements (31.7%), decongestants (16.1%), cough syrup (12%), and antihypertensive and diabetes treatments at 17%. Furthermore, antimicrobials were prescribed in 21.5% of the prescriptions. During the evaluation, it was found that 19.8% of the prescriptions were incomplete, lacking important information on dosing, duration, and drugs not suited to the diagnosis. Conclusions: Most of the parameters evaluated in this study were determined to fall outside the range of recommended guidelines criticized by the WHO. As a result, the implementation of efficient intervention programs, such as education initiatives, is recommended to enhance the practice of rational drug use. Contribution: This study highlights the importance of improving prescription indicators at the national level, focusing on both medication prescribing characteristics and prescription quality as a practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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