DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERN IN CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONS OF OUTPATIENTS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN GUJARAT

Abstract

Background: Despite alarming rise in prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), there is paucity of Indian data in such population. Drug Utilization Study (DUS) in government clinical setup is instrumental in developing effective healthcare system of the country. The study was carried out with objectives to study the pattern of usage of drugs in CVDs in patients of Medicine Outpatient Department (MOD), Sir Sayajirao General Hospital, Vadodara and to have information about the current trends with CVDs and their correlation with different WHO indicators. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational DUS was carried out in adult patients of either sex. The data were recorded in previously prepared case record form for a period of four months (March 2014 to July 2014). The data were analyzed as per WHO prescribing indicators. Results: Among 1020 patients, 570 (55.88%) were female and 450 (44.11%) were male. Most of patients (30.49%) belonged to the age-group of 60-69 years. Total 19 CVDs were observed during the study period, with hypertension prevailing in maximum cases (70.88%). Diabetes mellitus was most frequently encountered (21.6%) non-cardiovascular comorbidity. Number of drugs prescribed by brand name was as low as 15 (19.7%) and >80%, drugs were prescribed by generic name. Number of drugs per prescription was 6.4. Conclusion: This study gives an idea of treatment measures being conducted in a large population at a tertiary care hospital in Gujarat and gives a comparative description of drug utilization pattern in similar settings across other regions of India.