Assessing the Prescriptions of the Neurologists in Shiraz, Iran

Assessment of prescriptions is a simple way to obtain valuable information about health system in a community. We conducted a descriptive-analytic study to assess the prescriptions of the neurologists in Shiraz، Iran، during the first 6 months of 2012. In this descriptive cross-sectional study، data were collected by random selection of 14419 prescriptions of outpatients visited by neurologists practiced in Shiraz. The number of drug per proscription، rout of administration، drug category، and drugs’ names were gathered. Also، the first 10 drugs with the highest using frequency were recorded. Mean number of drugs per prescription was 2. 72. Oral administration was the most frequent route (89. 1%) followed by Injections (8. 99%). Anticonvulsant drugs (38. 96%) were the most frequently used drug group، followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (15. 66%)، and antipsychotics (10. 67). This study showed that the average prescribed drug by neurologist per prescriptions was high in comparison to recommended standard by WHO and in comparison to developed countries. Drugs for treatment of seizure and headache were the most frequently used ones. Percentage of encounter prescribed injections was relatively low and acceptable.