Drug Utilization In A Rural Community- A Longitudinal Study

Drug Utilization In A Rural Community

Authors

  • Tapas Bera
  • Swati Khan
  • Sanjoy Kumar Sadhukhan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70284/njirm.v3i3.2045

Keywords:

Rural area, Drug utilization, Drug failure

Abstract

Background & objectives: Around 50% of all medicines are prescribed, dispensed or sold inappropriately while 50% of patients fail to take their medicines appropriately. The optimum efficacy of a drug requires the firm compliance from the patient and honest co-operation from both the patient and their families. With this background this study was conducted to find out the pattern of drug utilization in a rural community of Maharastra, to detect the magnitude of drug failure and to find out its associates. Methods: A Community based longitudinal study was conducted in a village (Jaulgaon), in Maharastra (Central India), belonging to the field practice area of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences Sewagram among 256 persons of all age groups. Monthly house to house visits were conducted in the selected households using a predesigned pretested schedule following WHO guidelines for 12 months. Variables studied are disease type, disease episode, doctor consulted (Allopathic system), drugs used, mode of preservation of prescription and drugs, compliance to doctor’s advice, adverse drug reactions and outcome. Results: 203(79.3%) persons suffered from some illness. Total illness episodes were 446 (1.74 per person per year). A doctor was consulted for 330 episodes (74%). Anti-microbials top the list of prescribed drugs. About 15% of the episodes had adverse reactions. Non-compliance to drug use was 18.5%. Adverse outcome (Drug failure & Death) was seen in 28.5%. Drug failure was very significantly associated with Non-compliance and adverse reaction. Interpretation & conclusion. There were drug failures among 27.87% of the study population amounting to 35.39% of the total expenditure for health-care. Present study highlights the importance of community awareness for compliance to drug use.

References

1. Hardon A, Hodgkin C, Freshle D. How to investigate the use of Medicines in Consumers. WHO Regional Publication. World Health Organisation and University of Amsterdam. (2004):1.U. Grimson B A, Wahba AWH, Westerholm B. Studies in drug utilization. Methods and Application. WHO Regional Publications. European Series No.8.Copenhagen 1979:14.
2. Soumeri SB. Factors influencing prescribing. Aust. J Hosp Pharm 1988;18:9-16.
3. Sjoqvist F. Drug utilization, in: Mattila, M.J., ed, Proceedings of 6th International Congress of Pharmacology, Helsinki, Finland 1975; 15:17.
4. Hardon, Hodgkin C, Freshle D. How to investigate the use of Medicines in Consumers. WHO Regional Publication. World Health Organisation and University of Amsterdam 2004:39.
5. Maheswari S, Gupta S, Saran P. Medication Noncompliance and Substance Abuse in Schizophrenia; Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol. September 2005; 7(3 ): 74-76.
6. Hardon, Hodgkin C, Freshle D. How to investigate the use of Medicines inConsumers. WHO Regional Publication. World Health Organisation and University of Amsterdam 2004:64-65.
7. Soumari SB. Factors influencing prescribing. Aust J Hosp Pharm 1998; 18:9-16.
8. Sjoqvist F. Drug utilization, in : Mattila, M.J.,ed, Proceedings of 6th International Congress of Pharmacology, Helsinki, Finland 1975;15:17.
9. Nihar R, Biswas et al. Patterns of prescription and drug use in two tertiary care hospitals in Delhi. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2000; 44[1]:109-112.
10. Uppal R, Nayak P, Sharma PL. Prescribing trend in Internal Medicine. Int J Clin Pharm Ther Toxcol. 1984;22:373-376.
11. Dines Kumar B, Raghuram TC, Radhaia G, Krishnaswamy K: Profile of drug use in urban & rural India. Pharmacoeconomics 1995;7: 332-56.
12. Glover DD, Amonkar M, Reybeck BF, Tracy TS. Prescription, over the counter and herbal medicine use in a rural obstetric population. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;188: 1039-45.
13. Viswanathan N, Gandhi IS, Shridharan CH & Adhian C: Drug utilization study of Anti-microbial agents; Ind J Med Res 1981; 74: 772-78.
14. Meichenbaun D, Turk DC: Facilitating treatment adherence. Plenum press, Newyork, 1987 cited in Hardman JG, Limbird LE, Gillman AG: The Pharmacological basis of therapeutics,10th Edition. McGraw Hill Companies Inc 2003 : 1912 .
15. Edworthy SM, Devins GM: Improving Medication adherence through patient education distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate utilization. Patient education Study group. J. Rheumatol. ; 1999; 26: 1793-1801 cited in Hardman JG, Limbird LE & Gillman AG: The Pharmacological basis of therapeutics,10th Edition. McGraw Hill Companies Inc. 2003 : 1913.
16. Hardman JG, Limbird LE, Gillman AG: The Pharmacological basis of therapeutics, 10th
Edition. McGraw Hill Companies Inc. 2003 : 1914.
17. Buckalew LW, Buckalew NM: Survey of the nature and prevalence of patients’ non compliance and implications for intervention. Psychol. Rep. 1995, 76: 318-5-321 cited in Hardman JG, Limbird LE & Gillman AG: The Pharmacological basis of therapeutics, 10th Edition. McGraw Hill Companies Inc. 2003 : 1914

Downloads

Published

2012-08-31

How to Cite

Bera, T., Khan, S., & Sadhukhan, S. K. (2012). Drug Utilization In A Rural Community- A Longitudinal Study: Drug Utilization In A Rural Community. National Journal of Integrated Research in Medicine, 3(3), 91–96. https://doi.org/10.70284/njirm.v3i3.2045

Issue

Section

Original Articles