Study of Rational and Irrational Prescribing in Different Government and Private Health Care Centres of Punjab

Abstract

Introduction: Rational prescribing is the prescribing of drug by physician in the right way, right drug, right dose and right time to the right person through the right route of administration. On the other hand irrational prescribing is blanket term which is a combination of no drug need, drug abuse and misuse, use of polypharmacy and use of unsafe drugs. Methodology: This was cross sectional study and was conducted at District Head Quarters of Gujranwala, Hafiz Abad, Wazirabad and Okara from July-August 2017. The case histories of 400 patients were scrutinized thoroughly on the basis of questionnaire filling related to rational and irrational guidelines and compare our results with international standards. We used a Microsoft Excel 2013 for to evaluate our results. Results: A total of 400 patients were studied. Pharmacoeconomics analysis shows that in 177 patients’ drug therapy is rational while in 223 patients’ medications prescribed were irrational. Conclusion: It is the need of the hour that the mutual relationship among the medical health care professionals is necessary like doctors, pharmacists, nurses, nutritionist, physiotherapist and other technicians to provide optimum and rational drug therapy to the patients.