Author(s):
Saurabh Kumar Banerjee, P. Nivetha
Email(s):
saurabhb.research@gmail.com
DOI:
10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00501 
Address:
Saurabh Kumar Banerjee1*, P. Nivetha2
1School of Pharmaceutical Management, IIHMR University, Jaipur, 302029, Rajasthan, India.
2Institute of Health Management Research, IIHMR University, Jaipur, 302029, Rajasthan, India.
*Corresponding Author
Published In:
Volume - 19,
Issue - 8,
Year - 2026
ABSTRACT:
Most healthcare systems across the world continue to grapple with irrational medicine use. By highlighting the nuances and crucial steps that may be altered to give patients better care, a prescription analysis helps to improve the drug consumption pattern and is one of the critical steps in shifting the medication scenario from irrational to rational. The World Health Organization suggests that most of the essential medications should be prescribed as individual molecules. In the current study an attempt has been made to analyse the prescriptions using WHO core Prescribing indicators. The study has also attempted to identify the most prescribed single drug molecule and most prescribed two or more drug Fixed dose combinations for fourteen chronic and acute drug therapies. The current study was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at a private multispecialty hospital in South India, where 273 prescriptions from the OPD were randomly selected (via systematic random sampling) for evaluation between December 2024 and March 2025. After carefully reviewing the patient encounters, it was found that 1107 medications were prescribed in 273 encounters. An analysis of the WHO core prescribing indicators revealed that, on average, 4.05±2.53 drugs were prescribed per encounter, and all drugs (100%) were prescribed using their generic names. Antibiotics were prescribed in 18 encounters (6.59%), and injections were prescribed in 52 encounters (19.0%). Out of the total 1107 prescribed drugs, 622 (56.18%) were from NLEM. In chronic therapy, 637 drugs (57%) were administered, while 470 drugs (43%) were prescribed for acute therapy. Of all prescribed medications, 52.4% (579 out of 1107) were given as individual chemical molecules, and the rest, 47.6% (528 out of 1107), were prescribed as FDC. Our studies on prescribing indicators have demonstrated unequivocally that the protocols pertaining to the prescription of injections, antibiotics, and generic drugs are appropriate and compliant with WHO guidelines. The level of polypharmacy is more than usual. While there is room for improvement and compliance with the essential medicines list. Efforts should be taken by the Drugs and Therapeutic Committee of the Hospital to conduct a clinical audit of the prescriptions and develop an intervention for lowering the use of FDC and increasing the use of single drug molecule.
Cite this article:
Saurabh Kumar Banerjee, P. Nivetha. Prescription Pattern Analysis in the Hospital Pharmacy of a Private Multispeciality Hospital in South India with a Focus on Chronic Drug Therapy: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(8):3539-6. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00501
Cite(Electronic):
Saurabh Kumar Banerjee, P. Nivetha. Prescription Pattern Analysis in the Hospital Pharmacy of a Private Multispeciality Hospital in South India with a Focus on Chronic Drug Therapy: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(8):3539-6. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00501 Available on: https://rjptonline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2026-19-8-18
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