A retrospective study of drug utilization pattern in the outpatient department of pediatrics in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Rajasthan, India

Background: Though irrational prescribing is known throughout the world, but in developing countries because of small amount of funds available in the overall health budget for drugs, it has become more meaningful to prescribe drug rationally for optimum use of the allocated funds. The objective of this study was to study drug utilization pattern in paediatric patients attending paediatrics outpatient department, J. L. N. Hospital, Ajmer, Rajasthan. Methods: Study was carried out retrospectively, for a period of one year, by analysing a total 2100 carbon copies of prescriptions of patients who had visited the O.P.D. of Pediatric of J. L. N. Hospital Ajmer.Results: Among the total of 2100 patients, 67.71% patients were in age group of 1 to 14 years. 56.76% of total prescriptions accounted for the respiratory system followed by gastrointestinal system (26.62%). The most frequent classes of drugs prescribed were: antimicrobials (77.42%) followed by analgesic-antipyretics (69.28%). Cephalosporins were the most common among the antimicrobials prescribed. Total 7531 drugs were prescribed. The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.59. Of total medicine formulations prescribed, only 13.09% were prescribed by generic names and 38.03% were matching with those listed in model list of essential medicines. 50.68% medicine formulations were in the form of fixed dose combinations (FDCs) of which 26.96% were form the essential medicine list.Conclusions: There is a lot of scope in prescribing pattern regarding poly-pharmacy, medicines prescribed by generic name and from Essential Drug List and usage of fixed dose combinations