Abstract

A STUDY ON DRUG UTILIZATION EVALUATION OF ANTIEPILEPTICS IN PEDIATRICS AT A PRIVATE CORPORATE HOSPITAL

*Chitra Bhojan, Parsshava R. Mehta, Nissy. K. Sunny, Reenu Anna Mathew, Reyya Grace Jacob.

ABSTRACT

A prospective observational study to assess the drug utilization evaluation of antiepileptic drugs in paediatrics at a private care hospital was carried out over a 6 months period. Aim: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the prescription pattern in paediatrics, to identify the drug interactions present per prescription and to educate parents of the children regarding epilepsy using patient information leaflet. Methods & Material: The study was carried out with a sample size of 61 patients. The prescriptions were analyzed to evaluate the prescription pattern and screened for drug interactions using Micromedex drug database. Patient informational leaflets were designed in both English and Tamil; the parents of the pediatric patients were counseled using the leaflets. Results: During the study, 61 prescriptions were screened, clobazam (51.2%) was found to be the most commonly prescribed drug in paediatric epilepsy. Male predominance was observed in the study. Apart from antiepileptics, antibiotics were the most commonly prescribed class of drugs as most of the co-morbid conditions were infectious. 55 (90.2%) of the patients had a score of a high likelihood of seizure. Major drug interactions were recorded in 28 prescriptions. The bystanders were counseled on the Do's and Don'ts during and after an epileptic episode. Conclusion: Pharmacist’s intervention is necessary for the management of paediatrics epilepsy and to educate the parents about the importance of initial management and lifestyle changes during seizures so that many drug-related problems and further complications can be avoided.

Keywords: Antiepileptics, Paediatric epilepsy, Drug Utilization, Clobazam, Denver Score, Drug Interaction, Electrolyte levels.