Drug Use Indicators in Government Health Care Facilities
Author Information
Author(s): Menik Hettihewa Lukshmy, Isuru Amrasinghe I., Sewwandi Subasinghe
Primary Institution: University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
Hypothesis
What is the degree of health care worker’s adherence to the principles of rational use of medicines in Galle, Sri Lanka?
Conclusion
The study found that while adherence to essential drug use is high, there are significant issues with missing patient information and high antibiotic prescriptions.
Supporting Evidence
- 100% of prescriptions lacked a diagnosis.
- 100% of prescriptions lacked the doctor's identity.
- 58% of encounters had an antibiotic prescribed, which is higher than WHO recommendations.
- 76% of drugs were prescribed by generic name.
- 98.6% of drugs were prescribed from the essential drug list.
Takeaway
Doctors in Galle, Sri Lanka, often forget to write important patient details on prescriptions, and they prescribe too many antibiotics.
Methodology
The study involved a prescription audit through exit interviews using a structured questionnaire.
Potential Biases
High patient-to-doctor ratio may lead to rushed consultations and incomplete prescriptions.
Limitations
Patient diagnosis and prescriber identity were absent in all prescriptions, and sex was never mentioned.
Participant Demographics
Age was usually mentioned, but sex was never mentioned in any of the prescriptions.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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