Z. Desta et al., ASSESSMENT OF RATIONAL DRUG-USE AND PRESCRIBING IN PRIMARY HEALTH-CARE FACILITIES IN NORTH-WEST ETHIOPIA, East African medical journal, 74(12), 1997, pp. 758-763
A study on rational drug use was undertaken in nine health centres (HC
s) and nine health stations (HSs) in Ethiopia, Prescribing, patient ca
re and facility specific factors were measured using drug use indicato
rs. Prescribing patterns of drugs were also assessed. With only few ex
ceptions, the drug use indicators in HCs and HSs and between retrospec
tive and prospective studies were similar despite differences in manpo
wer and facilities, The average consultation time tin minutes) in HSs
and HCs was 5.1+/-0.8 and 5.8+/-1.06, respectively. The dispensing tim
e tin minutes) was 1.5+/-0.7 in HSs and 1.9+/-0.6 in HCs, Both patient
care indicators seem to be adequate to influence patient satisfaction
to the overall health service and patient knowledge of important dosa
ge instructions. Most drugs (more than 89% in HCs and 71% in HSs) were
actually dispensed from the health facilities and labelling was satis
factory. Prescribing by generic names (average: 75% in HCs and 83% in
HSs) was encouraging. While the availability of key drugs was ensured,
essential documents were missing in most facilities or they were unpo
pular for use, and those available required revision and updating. Pol
ypharmacy in which the number of drugs/encounter was <2.5 was minimal,
but that a large proportion of the prescriptions contained two or mor
e drugs could result in adverse drug-drug interactions. The most frequ
ently prescribed drugs were anti-infectives and analgesics accounting
for over 76% in HCs and 82% in HSs and in most cases they are probably
prescribed with little justification. The exposure of patients to ant
ibiotics (average: 60% in HCs and 65% in HSs) was unacceptably high to
justify epidemiological trends, The high exposure of patients to inje
ctions, especially in the HSs (over 37%), should be seen from the heal
th and economic points of view, The results revealed priority areas fo
r intervention. They also provide standard references to compare drug
use situations and their change over time in different settings, area
and time in Ethiopia.