| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2012 | Volume
: 2
| Issue : 3 | Page : 258-265 |
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Drug utilization pattern among geriatric patients assessed with the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification / defined daily dose system in a rural tertiary care teaching hospital
Rima B Shah1, Bharat M Gajjar2, Sagun V Desai1
1 Department of Pharmacology, SBKS Medical Institute and Research Center, Piparia, Dist. Vadodara, India
2 Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad, Dist. Anand, Gujarat, India
Correspondence Address:
Rima B Shah
Department of Pharmacology, SBKS Medical Institute and Research Center, Piparia, District: Vadodara, Gujarat
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2231-0738.99480
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Aim: To use the ATC/DDD system to study the drug utilization pattern among geriatric patients in a rural tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional prospective observational study involving 400 geriatric patients was carried out from August 2007 to October 2009. Relevant information was obtained by personal interview and from perusal of case files. Results: The majority of the patients (72%) were in age group of 65-74 years. There was a male preponderance (60.03%). Of the total 1026 disease conditions, cardiovascular diseases were the most common (86.75%), followed by musculoskeletal conditions (32.25%); psychiatric diseases (0.5%) had the lowest prevalence. Comorbid conditions were present in 315 (78.75%) patients. A total of 2924 drug formulations, containing 3254 active ingredients, were prescribed, of which 339 (11.59%) were fixed-dose combinations (FDCs). The mean number of drug formulations per prescriptions was 7.31±4.39. Polypharmacy and high polypharmacy were prevalent in 52% and 23.25% of patients, respectively. Only 15.6% formulations were prescribed by their generic names and only 51.7% were drugs that were included in the World Health Organization's Essential Medicines List (WHO-EML) Drugs acting on the cardiovascular system (22.81%) were the most frequently prescribed drugs, followed by antimicrobials (16.89%) and drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system (13.61%). Ranitidine (A02BA02) 150 mg was most frequently prescribed drug having DDD of 162, followed by aspirin (B01AC06) 75 mg, diclofenac sodium (M01AB05) 50 mg, and amlodipine (C08CA01) 5 mg with numbers of DDD 118UD, 94, and 88, respectively. Conclusion: Drug utilization data can help in assessing the quality of care given to the geriatric patients and promote rational use of medicines. |
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