Drug utilization study in a burn care unit of a tertiary care hospital

ObjectiveTo evaluate drug utilization and associated costs for the treatment of patients admitted in burn care unit of a tertiary care hospital.MethodsA prospective cross sectional study was conducted for a period of 15 months at Basaweshwara Teaching and General Hospital (BTGH), Gulbarga and the data collected was analyzed for various drug use indicators.ResultsA total of 100 prescriptions were collected with 44% belonging to males and 56% to females. The average number of drugs per prescription ranged from 4.5 to 9.5. 9.5% of generics and 92% of essential drugs were prescribed. The opioid analgesics and sedatives were prescribed to all the patients who were admitted in burn care unit. The (Defined daily dose) DDD/1 000/day for amikacin (359) was the highest followed by diclofenac sodium (156), pantoprazole (144), diazepam (130), ceftazidime (124), tramadol (115), ceftriaxone (84) and for paracetamol (4) which was the lowest.ConclusionsSignificant amount of the money was spent on procurement of drugs. Most of the money was spent on prescribed antibiotics. The prescription of generic drugs should be promoted, for cost effective treatment. Hence the results of the present study indicate that there is a considerable scope for improvement in the prescription pattern.