ArticleBMC public health2017
Prescribing patterns of rural family physicians: a study in Kermanshah Province, Iran.
Article in BMC public health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors contributing to the variation in antibiotic prescribing among primary health care physicians: a systematic review.BMC primary care · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence of antibiotics prescription amongst patients with and without COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Pathogens and global health · 2023Pooled it
- Antibiotic prescribing in inpatient and outpatient settings in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis study.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2021Pooled it
- Antibiotic prescription practices in primary care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Antibiotic prescribing patterns for management of acute diarrheal diseases at a university teaching hospital in Central Ethiopia.Journal of pharmaceutical health care and sciences · 2026Article
- Evaluating drug use patterns among paediatric outpatients in Burundi.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2024Article
- Antibiotic utilization pattern in treatment of acute diarrheal diseases: the case of Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Harar, Ethiopia.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2023Article
- Interaction between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry: A scoping review for developing a policy brief.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Mapping Drug Prescription, Polypharmacy, and Pharmaceutical Spending in Older Adults in Iran: A Multilevel Analysis Based on Claims Data.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2021Article
- Prescribing practices using WHO prescribing indicators and factors associated with antibiotic prescribing in six community pharmacies in Asmara, Eritrea: a cross-sectional study.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe inappropriate use of drugs due to irrational prescriptions is a common problem in Iran, but there is little evidence of prescription patterns in rural family physicians. This study aimed to explore the prescribing pattern and rational drug use indicators for family physicians using Index of Rational Drug Prescribing (IRDP) in Kermanshah Province, Iran.
methodsIn this retrospective study, 352,399 prescriptions from 184 family physicians in 103 primary health care (PHC) centers were examined. As stated, an analysis was done for rational use indicators suggested by World Health Organization (WHO): e.g., the percentage of prescriptions containing antibiotics, injections, and those prescribed by a generic name and from a national essential medicine list, plus the average number of drugs per prescription; these factors were all taken into account. Rational drug use was studied with the IRDP.
resultsThe average number of drugs per prescription was 3.14 (± 1.2) and the average cost per prescription was 116,740 IRR (USD 3.6). Around 19% of prescriptions had more than four drugs, while the percentage of prescriptions involving antibiotics and injections was 52.1% and 24.4%, respectively. There was 95.1% drugs prescribed by their generic name and 95.9% were retrieved from the essential drugs list. The value of the IRDP was 3.70 out of 5.
conclusionThe findings of this study showed that some degree of irrational drug prescribing exists among family physicians, especially in terms of injections, antibiotics, and polypharmacy. It is recommended that there be continuing education programs for physicians regarding rational prescribing for different kinds of medical indications. Clinical practice guidelines should also assist with the rational use of medicine.
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