Investigation of Prescriptions Given to Outpatients in Seven Kosei-nenkin Hospitals

Investigated in seven Kosei-nenkin Hospitals (member hospitals of the Employee's Pension Insurance Society), were 24, 498 prescriptions given to outpatients. These were given to 21, 552 outpatients who were instructed to take medication on October 30, 1990 according to the prescriptions regardless of the various periods during which they have taken the drug. These prescriptions were accumulated from October 1 to October 30, 1990. In addition, 2, 021 patients who consulted the hospital's outpatient clinics on October 30, 1990 for treatment of their illnesses were interviewed at the dispensary to find out whether they were taking drugs prescribed by other medical facilities.The results were as follows:1) 549 (27.2%) of 2, 021 patients were taking drugs given by either other medical facilities or pharmacies.2) The mean number of drugs prescribed in the 24, 498 prescriptions was 3.8 per patient. The number of drugs in anyone prescription was increased along with the age of the patient.3) Overlapping of drugs among prescriptions were 724 (3.0%) cases in 24, 498.4) 1, 706 (7.9%) of 21, 552 patients were given prescriptions containing a combination of drugs exhibiting a possible drug-to-drug interaction.5) 840 (3.9%) of 21, 552 patients were instructed by doctors to take more than 10 kinds of drugs within the same day. The mean number of their illnesses was 4.5 (1-12) and that of drugs per one illness was 2.6.