The Use of a Drug Utilisation Index To Monitor Psychotropic Drug Use in Hospitals

A pilot study was undertaken to monitor the use of psychotropic drugs in a psychiatric hospital unit and a comparable acute medical unit together with their out-patient clinics, during a 2 month period. Both units served the same catchment area. Using the DDD (defined daily dose) for each class of drug, an index was calculated as an indicator of usage. An index figure of less than one indicated that each patient received on average less than the DDD, whereas an index greater than one showed that each patient received an average daily dose greater than the DDD. Other patient information collected included age, sex, length of time on drug, length of admission and the number of different psychotropic drugs received during admission.