Adherence to Prescribing Indicators at a District Hospital in Ghana: Do We Match WHO Standards?

Obed Kwabena Offe Amponsah (), Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng, Sharath Burugina Nagaraja, Divya Nair, Karlos Muradyan, George Kwesi Hedidor, Appiah-Korang Labi, Mercy Naa Aduele Opare-Addo, Emmanuel Sarkodie and Kwame Ohene Buabeng
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Obed Kwabena Offe Amponsah: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana
Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng: Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana
Sharath Burugina Nagaraja: Department of Community Medicine, ESIC Medical College and PGIMSR, Bengaluru 560010, India
Divya Nair: International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union), 75006 Paris, France
Karlos Muradyan: Tuberculosis Research and Prevention Center, Yerevan 0014, Armenia
George Kwesi Hedidor: WHO Country Office, Ghana, 7 Ameda Street, Roman Ridge, Accra P.O. Box MB 142, Ghana
Appiah-Korang Labi: WHO Country Office, Ghana, 7 Ameda Street, Roman Ridge, Accra P.O. Box MB 142, Ghana
Mercy Naa Aduele Opare-Addo: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana
Emmanuel Sarkodie: University Hospital, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana
Kwame Ohene Buabeng: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-10

Abstract: (1) Background : Rational use of medicines (RUM) and their assessment are important to ensure optimal use of resources and patient care in hospitals. These assessments are essential to identifying practice gaps for quality improvement. (2) Methods : Assessment of adherence to WHO/International Network for Rational Use of Drugs core prescribing indicators among outpatients in 2021 was conducted at the University Hospital of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. We reviewed electronic medical records (EMR) of 110,280 patient encounters in the year which resulted in 336,087 medicines prescribed. (3) Results : The average number of medicines prescribed per encounter was three, with generics being prescribed in 76% of prescriptions. Injections were prescribed in 7% of encounters while 90% of medicines were from Ghana’s Essential Medicines List, 2017. (4) Conclusions : With the exception of patient encounters with injections, none of the prescribing indicators assessed in this study met WHO optimum levels, providing targets for quality improvement in RUM. Implementing prescribing guides and policies, regular audits and feedback as well as continuous professional development training may help to improve prescribing practices in the hospital.

Keywords: drug use review; outpatients; Ghana; SORT IT; quality indicators; electronic medical records; operational research; antimicrobial resistance; RUM; University hospital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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