Background: Irrational drug prescription leads to ineffective treatment, occurrence of adverse effects, prolonged duration of illness and suffering to patient, and an increased economic burden to society. Since children are more vulnerable than adults, it is crucial that principles of rational prescription are strictly adhered to.
Aims and Objective: To assess drug prescription pattern in children in a tertiary care hospital in India.
Materials and Methods: Prescriptions were collected from hospital pharmacy and copied using a digital camera and analyzed using seven-point criteria for rationality of fixed dose combinations (FDCs) and the World Health Organization (WHO) core prescribing indicators for rationality of prescriptions.
Result: Among 1008 prescriptions collected, majority was for male patients (571, 56.7%) and those aged 15 years (372, 36.9%). Prescriptions for immunization alone constituted 24.7% (249), of which injectable polio vaccine was the most common (143, 57.4%). The most commonly prescribed drugs were paracetamol (279/759, 36.8%) and antimicrobials (267/759, 35.2%). Out of 285 FDCs noted, 81 (28.4%) were found to be rational and 70 (24.6%) were from Essential Medicines List. Average number of drugs per encounter was 1.9. Most of the drugs were prescribed using generic name (60.2%) while 75.1% of drugs were from the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children. Percentage of encounters with antibiotics and injections were 25.7% and 4.1%, respectively.
Conclusion: Although usage of antibiotics and parenteral drugs was conforming to WHO recommended standards, there is a need to improve prescription pattern by generic name and drugs from Essential Drug List.
Key words: Drug Prescription Pattern; Pediatrics; WHO Drug Prescribing Indicators; Fixed dose combinations
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