Prescription audit and effects of co-morbidities on indoor covid-19
patients of a tertiary care teaching hospital
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Management of Covid 19 has been a challenge to
health care system. Covid-19 pandemic led to prescribing a greater
number of drugs for curing the disease as in initial phase of pandemic
due to lack of understanding of pathophysiology of Covid 19, symptomatic
treatment was given as no definite treatment was available. This
presented an opportunity to assess prescribing practices during the
pandemic. AIM: Prescription audit and effect of co-morbidities
on indoor Covid-19 patients. METHODS: The present study is a
retrospective cohort to assess 300 random prescriptions from indoor
Covid 19 patients of a tertiary care teaching hospital. The parameters
analysed in the process of prescription audit were, patients’
demographics data, prescribing standards according to WHO core
indicators, clinical diagnosis with co-morbid condition, legibility of
hand writing, doctors name and signature, outcome of disease.
RESULTS: A total of 300 prescriptions were analyzed, among them
198(66%) were male and 102(34%) females. Total 2972 drugs were
prescribed. The average number of drugs per prescription are 9.90,
percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name is 88%, percentage of
encounters with antimicrobials is 99.66%, percentage of encounters with
injections is 44%, percentage of drugs prescribed from National
Essential Drug List is 83.34%. 167 patients (55.67%) presented with
co-morbidity. The average duration of hospital stay is approximately 8
days. This study reveals impact of co-morbidities on Covid 19.
CONCLUSION: Each and every patient received antimicrobial in
the form of antibiotic or antiviral. The effect of co-morbidity has a
significant influence on the outcome of patients having covid 19, as in
this study mortality rate in diabetic patients is higher than
non-diabetics. Similarly, in hypertension, mortality rate is higher than
in non-hypertensive patients.