Biomedicine

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is a major medical and public health issue. As the age group increases, so does the incidence and prevalence of hypertension. Therefore, to rationalize medical care and make it more cost-effective, medical practitioners can monitor, assess, and recommend suitable improvements to their prescribing patterns. Several guidelines have been developed worldwide for the management of chronic diseases. However, many clinicians practice their prescribing pattern in treating the patients according to their clinical experience. Aim: The present study was conducted to evaluate the prescribing pattern for hypertension in the Department of General Medicine. Materials and Methods: The data was collected from the medical records of hypertensive patients who had come to the General Medicine OPD. There was a total of 318 medical records from 1st September 2023 to 30th November 2023. The following parameters were collected and analyzed- Demographic details, associated co-morbidities, antihypertensive drug classes prescribed, common antihypertensive drugs prescribed under each class, number of fixed-dose combinations, prescriptions with generic names/ brand names, and total number of drugs per prescription. Results and Conclusion: From this study it can be concluded that, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are the commonly prescribed antihypertensive drug class. Among the ARBs, Telmisartan and Losartan are commonly prescribed. Fixed dose combination of Amlodipine and Atenolol is commonly prescribed. Compared to brand names, the majority of the prescriptions had generic names. Knowledge about rational prescribing of the drugs is extremely important among clinicians to prevent any untoward effect due to a drug.