Comparative assessment of rational use of drugs in public and private hospital pharmacies: a multicenter cross-sectional study using INRUD/WHO prescribing indicators.

Background: Specific actions to promote the RUD in public and private hospitals are highly needed. The current study aimed to assess RUD based on World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing indicators in selected public and private hospitals in Khartoum state-Sudan.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in six public and three private hospitals. After ethics approval, a consecutive random sample of 2880 patient encounter prescriptions was selected. The IRDP indicates adherence to RUD.

Results: The average number of drugs per patient encounter prescription was 1.7 ± 0.2 and 2.5 ± 0.2 (overall 2.1) in public and private hospitals, respectively. Drugs prescribed generically were 61% (index 0.61) in public hospitals and 24% (index 0.24) in private hospitals. The index of injection prescribing was 0.1 for public and 0.85 for private hospitals. Drugs on the EDL accounted for 94% of prescriptions in public hospitals and 70% in private hospitals. The EDL prescribing index was 0.94 for public and 0.7 for private hospitals. The overall mean IRDP for public and private hospitals was 3.11.

Conclusion: Inadequate prescribing patterns in public and private hospitals significantly deviate from WHO standards across most prescribing indicators. Consequently, public and private hospitals should strive to promote the RUD.