A Retrospective Analysis of Prescribing Practice Based on WHO Prescribing Indicators at Four Selected Hospitals of West Ethiopia: Policy Implication

Abstract

A descriptive cross-sectional survey to determine prescribing practice of clinicians at four public hospitals in West Ethiopia was carried out. The study involved retrospective review of 2024 prescriptions received at the hospitals' outpatient pharmacies during the period between January and September 2013. The mean number of drugs per prescription was 2.1±0.5. The prevalence of generic, antibiotics and injections prescribing were 79.2%, 54.7% and 28.3%, respectively. Drugs prescribed from Ethiopian essential drug list/formulary constituted 83.0%, which is far less than the ideal limit. Further, all the prescribing indicators studied were out of the ranges recommended by World Health Organization implying that there is deep rooted irrational prescribing practice in public hospitals in Ethiopia. Thus, urgent and well organized interventions should be implemented in the country.

Key words: World Health Organization, prescribing indicators, rational drug use