Drug utilization study in post operative patients in surgical ward of tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: This study was aimed to evaluate the drug prescription pattern and to analyze the drug usage in post operative surgical patients with appendicitis, cellulitis, diabetic foot ulcer, hernia and hydrocele in tertiary care teaching hospital.Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted over a period of six months in post-operative surgical patients at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Warangal, Telangana, India, which was approved by Institutional Ethics Committee. The data obtained was analyzed using graph pad prism 7.0 and the conclusions were drawn using descriptive analysis.Results: A total of 429 cases were recruited during the following study period of which, parenteral drugs were pantoprazole 399 (93%), ceftriaxone 319 (74.35%), metronidazole 239 (55.71%). Oral drugs were multivitamin 400 (93.24%), serratiopeptidase 299 (69.69%), voveran 162 (37.76%). Majority of the drugs prescribed were intravenous fluids, antacids, antibiotics, analgesics were accounted. The percentage encounters with generic drugs was 99% in present study.Conclusions: The present study provides valuable insight about the overall pattern of drug use profile in postoperative patients in the surgical unit of a tertiary care hospital. The study is useful in decreasing the irrational prescription, which helps to decrease the morbidity and health care burden in the society. The prescribing pattern was according to the National Essential Drug List is very low and needs improvement.