Comparison of prescribing patterns between United States and Dominican Republic prescribers on short-term medical mission trips.

Background: Short-term medical missions (STMMs) have increased and are viewed as a way to extend care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although benefits may exist, visiting teams may lack insight into using medications safely and effectively. The primary objective was to assess prescribing differences between US-based and Dominican Republic (DR) healthcare providers on STMMs in the DR.

Methods: A retrospective database review between January 2013 and 2015 was conducted. Data from US and DR groups were compared for differences in diagnoses, medication classes prescribed and prescriptions per patient.

Results: The mean number of medical conditions diagnosed per patient in the DR (n=423) and US groups (n=1585) were 1.4±0.9 and 1.0±0.8, respectively. The diagnosis of infectious diseases was the same as non-communicable diseases. The DR group prescribed more medications at each patient encounter (mean 2.6 vs 2.2, respectively; p<0.001). The US group prescribed more antibiotics for respiratory infections (US 46.2% vs DR 25.0%; p=0.0001), used more metronidazole than albendazole alone for parasite infections (p=0.0022) and used more oral fluconazole for vaginal candidiasis (p<0.0001) and tinea infections (US 44.6%, DR 14.3%, respectively; p=0.0020).

Conclusions: Although some significant prescribing differences exist between US and DR providers, many similarities were present. Visiting providers should understand the medication use system and disease burden before providing care in an LMIC.