Abstract

STUDY OF PRESCRIPTION PATTERN IN AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Janet Jacob*, Cijy Thomas, Ahmadi Naaz, Rajeswari Ramasamy, Teena Nazeem, Dr. Susheela Shekar

ABSTRACT

Background: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) presents with a major patient safety challenges and requires fast-paced, complex and urgent high-risk decision-making, by physicians with varying levels of critical care training. Drug use studies using aggregate data or health facility indicators may indicate that there is over- or under-consumption of medicines, and qualitative studies may indicate why certain health staff and patients behave the way they do. The main objective of the study was to study the prescribing pattern in the Intensive Care Unit. Method: A prospective – observational study on prescription pattern and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) was done in the Intensive Care Unit of a 950 bedded tertiary care teaching hospital in Bangalore for a period of 6 months. All Patients admitted in the ICU aged 18yrs and above were included in the study. Patients satisfying Inclusion criteria were enrolled after obtaining Informed Consent (IC). Patient data entered into Case Report Form (CRF) and their medication orders were observed for Prescription Pattern. Results: A total of 120 cases were collected, in which 45% were females and 55% where males. Majority of the patients belonged to the age category of above 50 years. A total of 1165 drugs were prescribed out of which 20% were antibiotics, 1.6 % were antidotes, bronchodilators were 9.2%, anti-hypertensives were 9.4%, anti-diabetics were 5.6%, corticosteroids and analgesics were 7.4% each and others had 38.8%. The commonly prescribed antibiotic class was cephalosporin (42%) 98 drugs. Atropine (52.6%) 10 drugs was the most prescribed antidote. Among bronchodilators, combination of anti-cholinergics and beta blockers were high 53 dugs (49%). Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) and short acting insulin with 19% and 52.2% were the most common prescribed anti hypertensive and anti diabetic respectively. Short acting glucocorticoid and para- aminophenol derivatives with 81.6% and 85% respectively were the highest prescribed corticosteroid and analgesics.

Keywords: Prescription pattern, Intensive Care Unit.