Study of Drug Utilization Pattern during Second Wave of Covid-19 in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Retrospective Cross Sectional Study
Abstract
Background: To study the drug utilization trends among patients with COVID-19 disease during the second wave in a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in patients admitted in COVID-19 wards during second wave of SARS – COVID-19 pandemic from 1st March 2021 to 30th June 2021. A total of 300 prescriptions were analysed. Assessment of prescription patterns were done as per the WHO-The International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD)drug use indicators.
Results: A total of 3106 drugs were analysed.The average number of drugs prescribed was 11±5.1. The most frequent prescription was that of analgesic and antipyretic drug Paracetamol (95.26%) followed by vitamin C (94.74%) and multivitamins(87.89%) . Nearly all patients in this study received antibacterials, 68% received antivirals. Antibacterials commonly used were cephalosporins, amoxicillin- clavulanic acid combination and pipercillin –tazobactam combination. Antiviral drug Remdesivir was also used extensively in our study (54.21%). Other class of drugs which were commonly prescribed to more patients were Dalteparin (73.16%) and corticosteroids like methyl prednisolone (52.63%) and dexamethasone (51.05%). 35.68% of the drugs were prescribed with generic name .45.43% of the drugs were injectables . 2.96% of the drugs were prescribed as fixed dose combinations.
Conclusion: In summary, the drug utilization for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was diverse but generally complied with the ongoing guidelines. The drug were mostly prescribed from WHO essential drug list and percentage of fixed dose combination prescription was low. However not prescribing the drugs by generic name and large encounters of injectable was matter of concern. To get a better glimpse of drug utilization a more extensive study needs to be undertaken.
