A prospective study on utilization of drugs in COVID 19 patients of a tertiary care hospital in Pune: a pharmacoepidemiological study
Keywords:
Pharmacoepidemiology, Drug utilization research, COVID-19Abstract
Background: Pharmacoepidemiology refers to the epidemiological methods to study clinical use and effects of drugs in large number of people with the purpose of supporting the rational and cost effectiveness use of drugs. With this background, the present study was undertaken to investigate the patterns of prescriptions and drug utilization by measuring WHO drug use indicators in Covid. There are no studies done for the prescription or drug utilization pattern in Covid.
Objectives: To study the prescribing patterns of drugs used in COVID and to evaluate prescriptions according to WHO Drug Use Indicators.
Methods: This is a cross sectional, observational study. Data was collected from prescriptions of patients admitted in the COVID wards of study institution. Various parameters of utilization pattern were evaluated.
Results: Total number of prescriptions analysed were 100 in which 877 drugs were prescribed. 98.51% of the drugs were prescribed from NLEM. All the drugs were prescribed from the hospital pharmacy. Average no of drugs per prescription is 8.78. Class wise distribution of the drugs show that supplements (36.37%) were most commonly prescribed followed by antibacterial (18.35%). The proportion of use of generic name was seen in majority (89.05%) as compared to branded (10.94%).
Conclusion: It is necessary to make prescribers aware about importance prescribing and factor of cost effectiveness in patient’s point of view. Also there is a need for the development of prescribing guidelines and educational initiatives to encourage the rational and appropriate use of drugs.
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