Prescribing pattern of drugs in pediatric wards of three Ethiopian hospitals

Abstract

Abstract: The 193/94 prescribing pattern of drugs in paediatric wards of three hospitals in North-west Ethiopia was reviewed retrospectively. A total of 158 medical records from Gondar (G) Hospital, 197 medical records from Bahirdar (BD) Hospital, and 177 medical records from Debre Tabor (DT) Hospital were randomly selected. The mean age of the patients was 4.4, 4.0, and 4.6 in G, BD and DT Hospital, respectively. The average admission diagnosis per patient was 1.6, 1.4 and 1.35 in G, BD, and DT Hospitals, respectively. Infectious diseases and malnutrition were the main causes of morbidity in all the three hospitals. The average number of drugs prescribed per patient was four in G Hospital, 3.2 in BD Hospital, and 3.3 in DT Hospital. Antibiotics, particularly chloramphenicol and penicillin G were the most frequently prescribed individual drugs. In most cases the selection of the antibacterials was empirical. Over prescription of analgesics/antipyretics was recorded in DT Hospital. The need for an establishment of antibiotic policy and prescription audit is discussed to enlighten on the rational use of drugs. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1999;13(2):135-140]