Pharmaco-epidemiological Studies on Self Medication and Drug Utilization Pattern in Chronic Diseases via Prescription Auditing

Prescription auditing, a sort of vigilance activity is an important tool in pharmaco-epidemiological studies to get a clear picture about rational usage of drug, widely prescribed drugs, extent of polypharmacy, and the most prevalent diseases in a particular area. With the changing dynamics of the lifestyle, behavioral pattern, socioeconomic and educational status an increasing trend of self medication observed in both rural and urban dwellers. Till yet there is no such report about the drug utilization pattern or extent of self medication practice in the Kharaghpur area. A study was conducted in Kharaghpur region of India (Block 1 and 2) to determine the drug utilization trend and practice of self medication in the prevailing disease conditions by prescription monitoring and exit interviews with pretested Performa on customers randomly visiting the pharmacies. Prescription auditing showed that disease prevalence was predominant in age group of 11.00±6.2550.00±9.75 and comparatively less incidences in the pediatrics (1.00±1.055.00±0.79) and geriatrics (70.00±1.3175.00±1.01). There was a predominance of infectious diseases like fever, cough and cold during the study period followed by asthmatic problems and gastrointestinal infections GIT infections in the surveyed area. Self-medication of asthma and GIT infections was more prevalent in urban population (60%, n=133) as compared to the rural population (33.89%, n=107). Easy availability of lifestyle drugs, enhanced education levels amongst urban population and economic hindrance to pay physicians fees, influences of peer groups, advices of pharmacists, difficulty to avail drugs from clinics in rural regions influenced self medication. Analgesics, antipyretics were the most widely used self medicating drugs in survey area.