Ann Pharmacol Pharm | Volume 5, Issue 2 | Research Article | Open Access
Olayiwola Jimoh AG1*, Toluwalase Bakare H1 and Tomori Bakare AF2
1Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria
2Department of Psychiatry, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria
*Correspondance to: Olayiwola Jimoh AG
Fulltext PDFIntroduction: The use of psychotropic medications is common as 7.2% of the world population take at least one of such medication. Inappropriate drug prescribing has become a global problem, making drug utilization studies absolutely imperative. Psychotropic drug utilization rates provide information regarding rational drug use and are useful in monitoring treatment for mental disorders on a population basis. The aim of this study therefore was to compare and analyze the pattern of psychotropic drugs prescription, compliance with WHO drug use standards and determine the frequently encountered non-psychotropic's in the psychiatry department of two tertiary health institutions North West Nigeria. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. All patients attending the psychiatric outpatient clinic of the two hospitals from January 2014 to June 2014, diagnosed with psychiatric disorders and placed on at least one psychotropic drug were included in the study. The sample size was determined using single population proportion formula and 250 respondents were selected using systematic random sampling. Data was collected manually through proformas and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Result: The average number of drugs per prescription in both institutions was more than 2.0 (2.55, 3.44), this index partly accounts for the exaggerated average total drug cost of more than US$ 5 recorded in both hospitals. Carbamazepine (16.1%, 12.4%), amitriptyline (10.6%, 12.4%), haloperidol (10.2%, 7.7%) topped the list of prescribed psychotropics in both health institutions. Conclusion: In both institutions, the findings trend towards irrational prescribing. Intervention on physicians prescribing habit from findings of monitoring system and related studies should be implemented to improve compliance and overall mental therapy outcome.
Psychotropic drugs; WHO drug use indicators; Prescribing habits; Drug utilization studies; Psychiatrists
Olayiwola Jimoh AG, Toluwalase Bakare H, Tomori Bakare AF. Comparative Analysis of Psychotropic Drugs Prescribing Trends in Two Tertiary Health Institutions North West Nigeria: Investigating Compliance with WHO Core Drug Use Indicators in Health Facilities. Ann Pharmacol Pharm. 2020;5(2):1177.