Assessment of prescription completeness and drug use pattern using WHO prescribing indicators in private community pharmacies in Addis Ababa: a cross-sectional study

Yeniewa Kerie Anagaw; Liknaw Workie Limenh; Derso Teju Geremew; Minichil Chanie Worku; Misganaw Gashaw Dessie; Tewodros Ayalew Tessema; Teshome Bitew Demelash; Wondim Ayenew

doi:10.1186/s40545-023-00607-3

Assessment of prescription completeness and drug use pattern using WHO prescribing indicators in private community pharmacies in Addis Ababa: a cross-sectional study

J Pharm Policy Pract. 2023 Oct 20;16(1):124. doi: 10.1186/s40545-023-00607-3.

Authors

Yeniewa Kerie Anagaw¹, Liknaw Workie Limenh², Derso Teju Geremew², Minichil Chanie Worku³, Misganaw Gashaw Dessie⁴, Tewodros Ayalew Tessema², Teshome Bitew Demelash⁵, Wondim Ayenew⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia. yeniewa21@gmail.com.
² Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy, Pawi Health Sciences College, Pawi, Ethiopia.
⁶ Department of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: Healthcare systems in both developing and developed countries were not free from prescription errors. One of the effects of prescription errors is irrational prescribing. According to the estimation of the World Health Organization (WHO), greater than 50% of medicines are prescribed and dispensed irrationally. On the other hand, research on drug use patterns in the private healthcare sector is scarce. This study aimed to assess prescription Completeness and Drug use Pattern using WHO prescribing indicators in Private Community Pharmacies in Lemi-Kura sub-city.

Methods: Based on the WHO prescribing indicators, a retrospective cross-sectional technique was employed to examine the completeness and drug-prescription patterns. The study was conducted from April to May 2021. Prescriptions, kept for 1 year that was prescribed from March 2020 to March 2021, by private healthcare sectors, were analyzed. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select prescriptions obtained from private health facilities. Data were analyzed using SPSS^® version 26.0 software.

Results: Of a total of 1000 prescriptions, 1770 drugs were prescribed and the average number of drugs per prescription was 1.77. Prescriptions for two drugs account for 38% of these, while prescriptions for three drugs account for 15%. Age, sex, and card number were written on 99.0%, 99.2%, and 41.8% of prescriptions, respectively. The patient's name was written on every prescription. Even though the availability of other therapeutic information on the prescription made it appear greater, only 44.2% of prescriptions included the dosage form of medications. The generic name was used for the majority of the medications (67.8%). Furthermore, assuming that each prescription was for a single patient, 71% of patients received antibiotics, and 2% received injectable medicines. The National List of Essential Medicines-Ethiopia was used in 99.6% of the prescriptions.

Conclusions: On the basis of the finding of this study, the prescribing and prescription completeness indicator showed deviation from the standard recommended by WHO. This situation could be critical since a similar pattern is reported from public healthcare sectors, which might imply the extent of non-adherence to WHO core drug use standards. Consequently, it could play a considerable role in increasing prescription errors in Ethiopia. Hence, in-service training for prescribers should be provided to improve adherence to basic prescription writing.

Keywords: Essential medicines list; Ethiopia; Prescribing pattern; Rational drug use; WHO core drug use indicators.