Prescribing pattern of analgesics in orthopedic in-patient department at tertiary care hospital in Guwahati, Assam, Northeast India

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to evaluate the prescribing pattern of analgesics and analyze the rational use of analgesic in orthopedic in-patient department of tertiary care teaching hospital, Guwahati, Assam. SUBJECTS AND METHODS An observational and cross-sectional study was carried out for 1 month from April to May 2014. Collected data included age, sex, diagnosis and line of management during the study. The generic name and the average cost of treatment per patient were evaluated using Indian Drug Review, 2014. The prescribed drugs were assessed with respective National Model List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), 2011 and the rationality of prescriptions was determined using the World Health Organization indicators of drug utilization. The patients' details were recorded in a predeigned data collection form and results were analyzed by descriptive statistics. RESULTS Out of 200 patients, 123 were male and 77 were female. The average number of analgesic per prescription was 1.46. In this study, 55.5% of patients had received single analgesic. Diclofenac was the most commonly prescribed analgesic (43.49%). During hospitalization, majority of the patients have received parenteral preparation. Gastroprotective agents and antimicrobials were frequently prescribed along with analgesics. Out of 292 analgesics prescribed, 183 (62.67%) were from the NLEM, India. Furthermore, 176 (57.19%) analgesics were prescribed by generic name. The average cost of treatment per patient was 2151.72 INR. Utilization of analgesic in terms of defined daily dose/100 bed-days was 104.01. CONCLUSION The percentages of analgesics prescribing from NLEM and the use of analgesic by generic name were found satisfactory. Regular educational interventions to improve prescribing practices among physicians at different levels may further promote rational prescribing.