Drugs Prescription and Consumption in Mazandaran Province

Background and Drug supply system is one of the most important parts of every healthcare system. Logical prescription and rational use of drugs are important factors that guarantee health in the society. According to official reports, every Iranian consumes 442 drugs per year, amongst which a considerable number is not prescribed by physicians. Emergence of microbial resistances, adverse drug reactions and increasing burden of unnecessary health care spending are due to irrational use of drugs. This study aimed at investigating the consumption and prescription of drugs in Mazandaran Province in inpatient and outpatient settings. In an experimental study, 23 governmental hospitals and 11 private and Social Security hospitals were chosen by Health Information System (HIS). Then a list of top-selling drugs (2013-2014) and their prices in outpatient settings was obtained. The information of outpatient settings was also collected by Noskhe Pardaz software. Data was then analyzed and compared with the reports provided by Medscape. In the top-selling list of the inpatient settings, there were twenty drugs (all in injection form), of which, seven were antibiotics. Also, expensive drugs such as Albumin, Vial Pantoprazole and IVIG were amongst the nine highly consumed drugs. In outpatient settings, injectable form of Dexamethasone was found prescribed more than other drugs in Mazandaran. High numbers of antibiotics and injectable drugs used for inpatients and outpatients in Mazandaran province calls for more focused attention on consumption and prescription of drugs.