Abstract
Irrational drug prescribing continues to be a significant challenge globally, particularly in the developing countries where the regulation is weak, medical practices are not standardized and patients are not educated. Drug interactions, drug reactions and antimicrobial resistances are some of the repercussions, besides the cost that one has to bear mostly out of pocket when the health insurance coverage is neither available, nor affordable. The primary focus of this scoping review was to evaluate the existing literature on the medical prescription culture in Pakistan and draw attention to common prescription errors and practices, while keeping in view the WHO/INRUD’s prescribing indicators. A literature search was conducted on electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and PakMediNet to identify studies. Of the 185 studies in total, 15 were finalized which met the review criteria and objectives. The review examined the average number of drugs per prescription, percentage of generic drugs, antibiotics prescribed, injections prescribed and percentage of drugs prescribed from the essential drug list. Drug prescribing culture in Pakistan remains unsatisfactory and fails to meet the recommended standards of the WHO. The higher the compliance with the essential drug list, the more rational the medicine prescribing pattern would be. Periodic sensitization of the stakeholders i.e., physicians, allied health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacists, regulatory bodies and the general population is a need of the hour. A robust regulatory framework and its implementation is required to contain the consequences of irrational drug prescribing in Pakistan.
Presenters
Parniya Akbar AliStudent, Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Health Services Academy, Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
Medical Prescriptions, Health System, Irrational Prescribing, Antimicrobial Resistance, Polypharmacy, Pakistan
