Drug Utilization In A Rural Community- A Longitudinal Study
Drug Utilization In A Rural Community
Keywords:
Rural area, Drug utilization, Drug failureAbstract
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.
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