Asha Singh

Abstract

Introduction: Medical therapy is the most common form of health care provided to the patients. More the practice, more the error is substantiated by the fact that medication errors are probably the most common medical error. Detailed information on these errors is the first step to prevent these errors becoming a health hazard for the individual as well as the society. Objective: To generate data on the extent of rational/irrational prescribing pattern, to review the prescribing practices. Materials and Methods: An observational study with cross sectional design Prescriptions of the patients attending the pediatric OPD were reviewed to collect required data. Result: 1200 prescriptions were reviewed that had 3384 drugs listed. The mean age was 8.3± 4.62 years with male> female. Weight of the patient was recorded in 82.8% of the prescriptions. The average number of drugs per prescription was 2.82. The range of drugs per encounter varied from zero to 5. Ailments like minor scratches or other non-organic problems were those where no drugs were prescribed. Around 50% of the drugs prescribed were in generic names. Syrups were most commonly prescribed followed by tablets and capsules. Injection use was very less. Antibiotics were widely used for treatment with 73.8% of the prescriptions had at least one antibiotic. Conclusion: The findings of the current study highlight the continuing crisis of the irrational drug practice in this part of the country. This will help authorities to take necessary action and formulate guidelines on proper and rational drug prescription. Keywords: Drugs per prescription, Generic drugs, Rational prescription, Dosage forms, Antimicrobial agents

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Abstract

Introduction: Fungal infections take a toll on the health of all individuals, irrespective of ages, gender, ethnicity etc. But still major researchers have focused on antibacterial rather than antifungal till recent past, when the limelight has moved to antifungal medicines. Adding to the gravity of the situation, is the growing resistance against these drugs. Keeping these facts in mind, this study was planned to delineate the prescribing pattern of antifungal drugs by the various specialty in a tertiary care center in the eastern part of the country. Materials and Methods: This was an observational and cross-sectional hospital-based study. The study incorporated 218 patients from various departments of the hospital during the study duration that was from March 2021 to September 2021. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS ver 20.0. Results has been depicted in formof text and table. Result: Antifungal medicines prescribed mostly for leukemia and other immunocompromised status. Most of the patients came from the department of general medicine. Majority of the patients had hematological disorders followed by infections. Anidulafungin was reported to have been prescribed most commonly by the department of surgery in patients with solid tumors. Patients with lung infections also received this drug by physicians. This use can be justified by its action against invasive aspergillosis, oesophageal candidiasis and peritonitis and intraabdominal abscess caused by candida species. Ketoconazole and clotrimazole were the least used antifungal agents in our study. These two agents are mainly indicated for topical use Conclusion: The current report will aid in understanding antifungal prescription practices. This will also form a basis for future researches and formulating guidelines for rational use of these drugs.   Keywords: Fungal infections, Antifungal drugs, Prescription pattern, Immunocompromised status.

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