ABSTRACT
Prescription is a written order and direction by a registered physician to the pharmacist for the particular use of a medicine product for a patient. The aim of the research was to observe the prescription pattern of doctors in their chamber practice according to the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing indicators. A total of 300 prescriptions of outdoor patients from various departments of different private chambers of medical practitioners were collected from 1st August to 31st October 2019 and were evaluated. After evaluation and data analysis we got, patients’ age and gender were not mentioned in 6% prescriptions. Dose and course of treatment were incomplete in 60%, 72%, and 52% of prescriptions respectively. Abbreviations were used in 100% prescriptions. Doctor’s medical registration number was mentioned in 13% prescriptions only. A total of 1042 drugs was prescribed in 300 prescriptions. The average number of drugs prescribed was 3.38±1.79 (Mean±SD). Most of the prescriptions contained a brand name (93.33%) of the drugs whereas only a few (6.7%) used the generic names (P<0.05). Antibiotics and injections were ordained in 64% and 8% cases respectively. Approximately 60% of drugs were prescribed according to the Essential Medicine List (EML) of Bangladesh. Our study has shown that very few physicians are acquainted and follow the WHO standard of prescribing which can lead to seriously negative health consequences. Moreover, the presence of antibiotics in two-third of all prescriptions should ring an alarm to prevent its aberrant use.
Keywords: Rational prescribing, Private practitioner, Prescribing indicators, Pattern, and WHO.
Citation: Saha S, Rizwan ASM, Saha JV, Siddique AR, Hasnat A, Rahman M, Ahmed W, and Afroz D. (2020). Prescribing pattern of medical practitioners in their private chamber practice according to WHO prescribing indicators in a southern district of Bangladesh. Eur. J. Med. Health Sci., 2(2), 16-20. https://doi.org/10.34104/ejmhs.020.16020
