Evaluation of prescribing pattern of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and assessing effectiveness of sildenafil and tadalafil in patients with erectile dysfunction

Several factors may affect identification and treatment of erectile dysfunction by health care providers, this study evaluates prescribing pattern of PDE-5 inhibitors and assess effectiveness of Sildenafil and Tadalafil in patients with erectile dysfunction.This is a descriptive and observational study, observed participants without providing any interventions, after fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria, patients were enrolled into study and informed written consent was obtained from all patients, data was obtained from medical records, analysed descriptively. International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire is used in assessment of erectile dysfunction and treatment outcomes.In our study, 80% of patients were prescribed with phosphodiesterase inhibitors and 20% received nutritional supplements. 80 percent of drugs were prescribed under generic name, subjects treated with Sildenafil/Tadalafil were found to be associated with higher mean scores for questions of International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Tadalafil scored high in terms of sexual desire domain.PDE5 inhibitors represent major first-line oral therapy option for men with erectile dysfunction, shift of market from brand to generic products allows more freedom of choice, although multiple reports suggest general equivalency of four major PDE5 inhibitors, tadalafil suggested to be preferable.

Administration of Systemic Antibiotics for Dental Treatment in Kosovo Major Dental Clinics: A National Survey

Objective Antibiotics misuse and a high level of antibiotics resistance is observed worldwide, but particularly in developing countries. Kosovo in the last decade is facing challenges regarding antimicrobial resistance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate patterns of antibiotics prescriptions of dentists in Kosovo's major dental clinics. Materials and Methods For Kosovo's prescribing pattern, data collection was obtained from 10 Regional Dental Clinics and a Tertiary Health Center regarding patients who were prescribed antibiotics in the years 2015 to 2019. Data analysis was performed by using descriptive statistics and was processed by using MS Excel. Results Most prescribed antibiotic during the observed period from 2015 to 2019 in Kosovo was amoxicillin, although a drastic increase of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid—as a broad-spectrum antibiotic—is observed. The trend of antibiotics use in tertiary health institutions is in an overall decrease in Kosovo with an exception in the year 2017. Despite this overall decrease, inconsistency in prescribing is observed when the pattern is analyzed for each region separately. The highest number of patients in health care dental clinics received antibiotics for maxilla-related health conditions and the lowest number of them for oncologic ones. Conclusion The patterns of antibiotics prescriptions by dental practitioners in Kosovo during the years 2015 to 2019 are fluctuating. Compared with the global health care standards, the irrational use of antibiotics in dental health care clinics in Kosovo still exist and this issue should be further addressed by respective actors.

TRENDS IN PRESCRIPTION PATTERN IN MEDICAL INDIAN ICU AND IT’S IMPACT ON PATIENT OUTCOME

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the trends in prescribing pattern in medical ICU concerning patient age, gender, past, and current illness along with comorbidities for the evasion of polypharmacy and to improve patient outcomes. Methods: A prospective analysis of the case records of patients admitted to the ICU of Yashoda hospital in India was carried out. Results: 120 patients were evaluated, consisting of 77% male patients. The mean±SD of age is 53.81±14.63. The majority of the study subjects belonged to the age group of 50-67 y (32%) Most common causes for admission to the ICU were Respiratory diseases and Stroke. Diabetes mellitus and Hypertension are the most common co-morbidities identified. The total number of drugs used were 1502 during this study period. The average number of drugs per prescription is 12. The range is between 2-30. The average number of antibiotics per prescription is 3. Commonly prescribed drug classes were the GI agents in 100% of patients, followed by antimicrobial agents (AMAs) in 95.8% of patients. About 42.5% of patients received 3 antibiotics per day. 55 potential drug-drug interactions were interpreted in 46 patients. 30(55%) were moderate interactions 25(45%) were major interactions, which were addressed. De-escalation of antibiotics was seen in 29% of patients while escalation in 13%. The death rate is only 5% in our ICU setting. Conclusion: This prescription pattern study can provide a framework for continuous prescription audit in the ICU

The Outpatient Prescribing Pattern of Sevelamer in Al Seih

Aim: The present study aimed to explore the outpatient prescribing pattern of sevelamer in Al Seih. Methodology: This was a retrospective study that included reviewing the electronic prescriptions that contained sevelamer among outpatients in the city of Al Saih. Results: During 2017 and 2018, 47 patients received sevelamer from the outpatient pharmacy in a public hospital in Alkharj. More than 23 % of the prescriptions were prescribed in January and about 21.28% of the prescriptions were prescribed in May. All of the prescriptions that contained sevelamer were prescribed for the duration of 1 month (100.00%), all of the sevelamer prescriptions were written by residents (100.00%) and all of the prescriptions were prescribed by nephrology department (100.00%). More than half of the patients who received sevelamer were females (60.00%). The age of about 90% of the patients who received sevelamer was more than 39 years. Conclusion: The present study showed that the prescribing of sevelamer was uncommon in Al Seih. Further studies are required to investigate the pattern and the frequency of sevelamer in the outpatients setting and in other settings.

The Outpatient Prescribing Pattern of Topical Lidocaine in Al Seih

Aim: The present study aimed to describe the prescribing pattern of topical lidocaine in the outpatient setting in Al Seih. Methodology: This is a retrospective study that includes reviewing the electronic prescriptions that contained topical lidocaine among outpatients in a public hospital in Al Seih. Results: More than 52% of the patients who received topical lidocaine were males and the age of 36.84% of them was between 30 and 39 years. Most of the patients who received topical lidocaine for 7 days (64.47%). Topical lidocaine prescriptions were written mainly by residents (96.05%). More than 55% of the topical lidocaine prescriptions were prescribed by the emergency department and 38.16% of the prescriptions were prescribed by general surgery department. Conclusion: The present study showed that the prescribing of topical lidocaine was uncommon in Al Seih. Further studies are required to investigate the pattern and the frequency of topical lidocaine and other topical anesthetics in the outpatients setting and in other settings.

An observational and cross-sectional study on drug utilization pattern in the ophthalmology out-patient department of a tertiary care center of Bihar

Making affordable drugs accessible to all strata of society is an inevitable part of health care. This situation makes Drug Utilization Study inevitable. With this background, the current study was planned to obtain knowledge on the prescribing pattern and drug utilization trend in ophthalmology department at a tertiary care teaching hospital with ultimate goal to promote rational use of drugs among prescribers. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, Bihar. Prior to the initiation of the study, clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Study period was between March 2021 and August 2021. Prescriptions of 550 patients who were treated during the course of the study were surveyed prospectively by using a specially designed form. The WHO drug use indicators like prescribing indicators and patient care indicators were determinedThe average number of drugs per prescription was 2.6, ranging from 0-7 drugs. The dosage forms, the frequency of administration and duration of treatment of the drugs were recorded for 99.9% of the prescriptions given. This analysis of the prescriptions showed that 93.8% of the prescriptions were written in the form of various trade names. Antibiotics were prescribed in 52.5% of the prescriptions. The present study revealed certain lacunae in the prescribing practices of the Ophthalmologists at the selected institute and this is evident by the low generic prescribing in many prescriptions.

An observational and cross-sectional study of prescribing pattern of antifungal drugs in a tertiary care center of Bihar

Fungal infections take a toll on the health of all individuals, irrespective of ages, gender, ethnicity etc. But still major researchers have focused on antibacterial rather than antifungal till recent past, when the limelight has moved to antifungal medicines. Adding to the gravity of the situation, is the growing resistance against these drugs. Keeping these facts in mind, this study was planned to delineate the prescribing pattern of antifungal drugs by the various specialty in a tertiary care center in the eastern part of the country. This was an observational and cross-sectional hospital-based study. The study incorporated 218 patients from various departments of the hospital during the study duration that was from March 2021 to September 2021. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS ver 20.0. Results has been depicted in formof text and table. Antifungal medicines prescribed mostly for leukemia and other immunocompromised status. Most of the patients came from the department of general medicine. Majority of the patients had hematological disorders followed by infections. Anidulafungin was reported to have been prescribed most commonly by the department of surgery in patients with solid tumors. Patients with lung infections also received this drug by physicians. This use can be justified by its action against invasive aspergillosis, oesophageal candidiasis and peritonitis and intraabdominal abscess caused by candida species. Ketoconazole and clotrimazole were the least used antifungal agents in our study. These two agents are mainly indicated for topical use The current report will aid in understanding antifungal prescription practices. This will also form a basis for future researches and formulating guidelines for rational use of these drugs.