Abstract

DRUG UTILIZATION EVALUATION IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE PATIENTS - A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Sharon Sunil*, Arya Gigi, Prince Hepzhiba, Dr. Mahesh N. M, Mrudula Giri, Dr. Ajoy Krishnamurthy

ABSTRACT

Background: COPD has long been wrongly considered a disease of elderly men. In fact, many more women and men suffer from the symptoms of COPD than previously recognized. It is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most serious health threats. Therefore it is necessary to treat the disease at the earliest to prevent disease progression. Drug utilization evaluation can be used for the description of drug use pattern; early signals of irrational use of drugs; interventions to improve drug use; quality control cycle; continuous quality improvement. Hence the present study was planned to know the prescription pattern of patients suffering from COPD in a teaching hospital of south India. Method: A prospective observational study was conducted in the General medicine and Chest department of a tertiary teaching hospital. Subjects were studied for demographic details and prescription pattern. All information significant to the study was collected from the case records and discussions conducted with the inpatients. Result: A total of 100 COPD patients of either sex were evaluated for drug utilization. The results revealed that most of the patients were admitted with grade 3 dyspnoea of mMRC dyspnea scale. Antibiotics (42%) were the most prescribed class of drug in which Ceftriaxone (44%) and Azithromycin (25%) were mostly preferred. Parentaral steroids were used in 20% of the patients and all of them received Hydrocortisone (50%) and 19% of the patients were prescribed with Methyxanthines in which Doxofylline (56.89%) was the most preferred drug. The most prescribed combination therapy was salbutamol+ ipratropium bromide+ budesonide.

Keywords: Chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Drug utilization, Prescription pattern.