PATTERNS OF PHYSICIANS DRUG PREH1ION IN SABZEVAR IRAN (2008)

Background and One of the most documented ways of evaluating drug preh1ion patterns in a community is through the assessment of physician’s preh1ions. As no studies have been conducted so far on this issue the present study was done to evaluate the preh1ion patterns of physicians in Sabzevar Iran in 2008. Methods and Materials: In this deh1ive cross- sectional study 167305 preh1ions from 270 medical practitioners in Sabzevar Iran from three insurance companies (Medical Services Insurance Social Security Insurance and Army Medical Insurance) were collected on a CD which were then analyzed for preh1ion indexes using Preh1ion Evaluation Software. The preh1ions were issued in the first six months of 2008. Data summarization was done using figures percentage and means. Mean number of prescribed drugs was 3.22. About 35% of the patients received an injection 45% received antibiotics and 14% were prescribed corticosteroids. Inappropriate preh1ion of antibiotics corticosteroids and injection as well as mean preh1ion items being above normal rate and non-conventional drug interaction rates were observed in preh1ions issued by physicians in Sabzevar Iran.