Prospective Drug Utilization Evaluation Analysis in Outpatient Departments with Ear, Nose, and Throat Outpatients: Incorporating Benchmarks and World Health Organization Indicators.

Objectives: Drug utilization studies are tools for determining the effectiveness of drug use. The aim of the study was to evaluate drug usage patterns in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) outpatient settings by incorporating established benchmarks and World Health Organization (WHO) indicators.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study on drug utilization evaluation (DUE) was conducted on 800 patients from the ENT outpatient department. We gathered data on currently prescribed medications and identified any discrepancies with a thorough analysis. Continuing educational activities such as "dear doctor" letters and personal consultations were used to rectify any irrational prescribing patterns among physicians. The WHO/International Network for Rational Use of Drugs core drug use indicators, specifically prescribing and patient care indicators, and established benchmarks were applied to encourage rational prescribing.

Results: The three most common diagnoses were pharyngitis (51.49%), allergic rhinitis (25.11%), and acute suppurative otitis media (21.17%). Montelukast, in combination with levocetirizine (13.77%) and amoxicillin in combination with clavulanic acid (8.81%), was the most frequently prescribed medication. The average number of drugs per prescription was 4.2% (±1.1), with low usage of generic names (33.0%) and suboptimal reliance on the essential drugs list (76.7%). Furthermore, patient care indicators demonstrated room for improvement, particularly concerning consultation times (6 minutes), dispensing times (30 seconds), and drug labeling practices (0% labeled). The DUE improved the prescribing rate of first-line drugs for five diseases and few aspects of prescribing and patient care indicators.

Conclusion: There is an overuse of prescribed drugs, a need for more utilization of generic names, and less than optimal use of the essential drugs list. Additionally, shortcomings in patient care were observed, including issues in consultation, drug dispensing times, and labeling. However, DUE effectively improved WHO patient care metrics and the prescription of first-line drugs warranting its implementation.