ArticleBMJ open2021
Assessment of drug use pattern using WHO core drug use indicators in selected general hospitals: a cross-sectional study in Tigray region, Ethiopia.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Inappropriate ceftriaxone utilization and predictor factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Antibiotics Use Patterns in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review Analysis.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingPooled it
- Article
- Beyond Pain Relief: A Cross-Sectional Study on NSAID Prescribing, Polypharmacy, and Drug Interaction Risks in Community Pharmacies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Assessment of dispensing practices and patient's knowledge of dispensed medicines in a hospital pharmacy, Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Comparative assessment of rational use of drugs in public and private hospital pharmacies: a multicenter cross-sectional study using INRUD/WHO prescribing indicators.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- WHO/INRUD prescribing indicators with a focus on antibiotics utilization patterns at outpatient department of Adigrat general hospital, Tigrai, Ethiopia: a retrospective cross-sectional study.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2024Article
- Rational prescribing and dispensing of oral dosage forms of medicines to children: an observational study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Observational
- Hospital prescribing patterns of antibiotics in Zambia using the WHO prescribing indicators post-COVID-19 pandemic: findings and implications.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Drug Use Evaluation of Tenofovir/Lamivudine/Dolutegravir (TLD) Fixed-Dose Combination for Initiation and Transition Among HIV-Infected Individuals Attending Lumame Primary Hospital, North West Ethiopia.Integrated pharmacy research & practice · 2024Article
- Implications of the South African National Drug Policy on prescribing patterns: a case study of the Limpopo province.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2023Article
- Evaluation of Rational Drug Use Based on WHO/INRUD Core Drug Use Indicators in a Secondary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study in Western Uganda.Drug, healthcare and patient safety · 2023Article
- Evaluation of antibiotic prescribing patterns among inpatients using World Health Organization indicators: A cross-sectional study.SAGE open medicine · 2022Article
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4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveInappropriate use of medicine is a global challenge with greater impact on developing countries. Assessment of drug use pattern is used to identify gaps in medicine utilisation to implement strategies for promoting rational drug use. This study aimed to assess drug use pattern using the WHO drug use indicators in selected general hospitals in Tigray region, Ethiopia.
designA cross-sectional study was conducted using WHO drug use indicators in two public hospitals located in Tigray.
settingPrescriptions recorded from 1 January 2017 to 1 June 2019 were randomly selected, and participants who visited the public hospitals from 1 March 2019 to 30 August 2019 and hospital pharmacies were interviewed.
participants100 patients who visited both outpatient clinics and hospital pharmacy departments of the public hospitals.
resultsThe average number of medicines per prescription was 1.69 (±0.81). Prescriptions containing antibiotics and injectables were 58.2% and 15.9%, respectively. The percentages of medicines prescribed with a generic name from essential medicines list of Ethiopia were 97.5% (974) and 88.1% (970) in Mekelle Hospital and Quiha Hospital, respectively. The patients spent an average of 6.6(±3.5) min with their general practitioners, while only 22.8 (±21.7) s with their pharmacists. Of the patients interviewed, 56.9% knew their dosing regimen and 32.7% of them had their medication labelled.
conclusionThe finding of the present study revealed deviation of drug use pattern from the WHO optimal levels suggesting the hospitals had limitations in appropriate utilisation of medicines. Understanding the factors attributed to the observed gaps and implementing corrective measures are required to conform with the recommended standards of appropriate drug utilisation.
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