Analysis of Prescribing Practices in the Dermatology Outpatient Department of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Introduction The practice of appropriately prescribing and delivering pharmaceuticals to the right patient for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases is referred to as "rational drug usage". Patients should receive pharmaceuticals that are appropriate for their clinical needs, given in doses that meet their needs, for long enough periods of time, and for the least amount of money possible. Minimizing drug therapy costs without sacrificing therapeutic effectiveness, avoiding unnecessary adverse medication reactions and drug-drug interactions, and improving therapeutic care while encouraging patient adherence are the main objectives of rational drug usage. The present study was planned to assess the current prescribing practices in the dermatology outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and methods A prospective descriptive study was conducted in the department of dermatology at a tertiary care teaching hospital after receiving permission from the institutional ethics committee. The study was conducted from November 2022 to February 2023 and followed the WHO recommendation for sample size. A total of 617 prescriptions were analyzed thoroughly. Results Regarding the demographic profile of the 617 prescriptions, 299 were male and 318 were female. The patients had diverse diseases, with the most common being tinea infection (57 cases, 9%) and acne vulgaris (53 cases, 8.5%), followed by scabies (38 cases, 6%), urticaria, and eczema (30 cases, 5%). Twenty-six (4%) prescriptions were not written in capital letters, 86 (13%) prescriptions did not mention the route of drug administration, and the consultant's or physician's name and signature were missing in 13 (2%), and six (1%) prescriptions, respectively. None of the prescriptions were written using the generic names of the drugs. Polypharmacy was observed in 51 (8%) prescriptions. Moreover, potential drug-drug interactions were identified in 12 (1.9%) instances. The most prescribed drugs were antihistaminics, with 393 (23%) prescriptions. Antifungal drugs were the second most prescribed, with 291 (17%) prescriptions. Corticosteroids were also commonly prescribed, with 271 (16%) prescriptions. Antibiotics were prescribed in 168 (10%) cases; other drugs were prescribed in 597 (35%) cases, including retinoids, anti-scabies drugs, antileprotic drugs, moisturizers, sunscreens, etc. Conclusion The study highlighted the prescription errors in writing the drugs in capital letters, mentioning the dose, route, and frequency of drugs, etc. It provided insight into the common diseases in dermatology and routine prescribing patterns and addressed the frequency of polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions.