Prescribing pattern in orthopedics outpatient department of a medical college in India

Background: Periodic evaluation of drug utilization pattern is necessary to promote rational drug use by. In orthopedics practice, the prescribing pattern needs to be regularly monitored since many of the drugs prescribed carry untoward adverse effects. In this backdrop, the present study was conducted to explore the prescribing pattern in orthopedics outpatient department (OPD) of a medical college in Eastern India.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a Tertiary Care Medical College in West Bengal. The prescriptions of all consecutive patients attending the orthopedics OPD for the first time (except post-surgical follow-up) were included in the study. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistical methods: frequencies, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.Results: A total of 837 prescriptions were analyzed with an average number of drugs per prescription being 2.57. Among the drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were most commonly prescribed (64.14% [1383/2156]) followed by anti-ulcer drugs (13.58% [293/2156]), centrally acting muscle relaxants (21.4% [323/1516]), multivitamins and minerals (9.09% [196/2156]), and others (antibiotics, anti-gout drugs, etc.,) (5.12% [110/2156]). Drugs were prescribed in the generic name in 35.72% (770/2156) of prescriptions. A total of 71.56% (1543/2156) of drugs were prescribed from national essential medicine list. Antibiotics were prescribed in 53 encounters (53/2156 [2.46%]) and 93 prescriptions (4.38%) mentioned administration of injectables. The frequency of drug administration and the duration of treatment was mentioned in 87.81% (1893/2156) and 82% (1768/2156) of the prescriptions, respectively.Conclusion: The current piece of work pointed out certain lacunae in the prescribing practices of the orthopedicians of the institute as evidenced by low generic prescribing, inadequate information about the duration of therapy and frequency of administration in many prescriptions.