Drug prescribing pattern at the medical outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in southwestern Nigeria.

Purpose: Assessment of drug use patterns with World Health Organization (WHO) Drug Use Indicators is becoming increasingly necessary towards promoting rational drug use in the developing countries. This study aimed at assessing the drug prescription pattern at the Medical Outpatient Clinic (MOP), University College Hospital, Ibadan, using some WHO core drug use indicators.

Methods: One thousand four hundred and forty-seven patient encounters were reviewed prospectively over a 2-month period. Data were collected from patient case files immediately following consultation in each of the seven subspecialty clinics at the MOP. Prescribed medications were then reviewed for some drug use indicators including cost of medications. Cost was based on the current hospital pharmacy drug-pricing list.

Results: One thousand three hundred and seven (90.3%) prescriptions from 1447 patient encounters were reviewed. One hundred and forty (9.7%) encounters did not have prescriptions written out. The overall average number of drugs prescribed was 3.2 +/- 1.47. Average percentage of drugs prescribed by generic names was 49.5% +/- 31.2, while average percentage of drugs prescribed from the hospital essential drug list was 96% +/- 14.0. The average cost of medications to patients/day was N = 126.0 +/- 136.0 approximately $0.9 (USD). Results varied between subspecialties.

Conclusion: The low percentage prescription of drugs by their generic name is responsible for the high cost of drugs to patients. Drug use studies are a necessary tool for assessing prescribing patterns in hospitals, recognizing areas for improvement and improving drug prescribing practices in these facilities.