Publication:

A retrospective study of drug prescribing pattern in burns patients in a tertiary care rural hospital

Background To study and describe the prevailing prescription trend in burns patients in a tertiary care rural hospital.

Methods This was a retrospective observational study. Total 100 patients diagnosed with burn injury and admitted during Jan 2012 to Dec 2013 were included in the study. The demographic details, details of burn injury & treatment received were obtained from the medical record section of Dhiraj General Hospital, Piparia. Drug prescriptions were analyzed using Microsoft Excel for total number of drugs per prescription, various classes of drugs prescribed and group of antibiotics commonly prescribed.

Results Most common age group affected was 20-40 years. The female to male ratio was 1.8:1. Average number of drugs prescribed was 6.8 with a range of 4-9 drugs per prescription. All prescriptions (100%) contain antimicrobials, analgesics and antiulcer drugs. Among antimicrobials, ceftriaxone was most commonly prescribed followed by amikacin and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid. Only 18% patients were immunized against tetanus.

Conclusions Females are more vulnerable to burn injuries. Polypharmacy was observed in prescriptions. Systemic antibiotic should be used with caution to prevent emergence of resistant microorganisms. Results of the present study indicate that some aspects of drug treatment need to be rationalized in order to achieve better patient care.