Abstract

ASSESSEMENT OF DRUG USE IN GERIATRIC PATIENTS AT RURAL TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN SOUTH INDIA

Satish Kumar B.P.*, Dr. Nagothu Joe Sindhuri, Dr. Laxman Wagle, Dr. Deny K. Joy, Dr. Manikanata B.D. and Dr. Amruth Mathew

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Geriatrics are more vulnerable to drug use problems and requires monitoring of prescriptions to identify and solve potential problems. Objective of this study is to assess the drug use in geriatric patient at rural tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods: A prospective and observational study was carried out at tertiary care teaching hospital, South India after institutional ethical committee approval. Data were collected after taking patient consent in designed data collection form. Data were measured to observe prescribing indicators and to record contraindicated drugs if any by using Microsoft excel and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: We observed 1503 drugs in 200 geriatric patient prescriptions where males (75%) were more than females (25%). Majority of them were in age group of 60- 65years (47%) followed by 65-70(27%) years and then above 70 years(26%). Prescribing indicators showed evidence for potential drug use problem like high drugs per prescription, i.e polypharmacy (6.25 ±1.6), use of less generic drugs (23.1%) and essential drugs (56%). Injections and antibiotic prescribing were 7% and 23.28% respectively. In 2.5% patient cases, drug which could exacerbated further disease condition were prescribed. Conclusion: Use of drugs contraindicated in different disease conditions and high prevalence of polypharmacy along with less generic prescribing shows prescribing habbits in geriatric patient has to be reviewed. Tools like explicit and implicit criteria already developed to assess potentially inappropriate medications in geriatric patient has to be adopted.

Keywords: Geriatric population, prescribing indicators, Assessement of drug use.