Evaluation of drug utilization in cardiovascular disease at a teaching and referral hospital in Northern Telangana

The Place of Generic Medicines in Hospital Prescriptions: A Survey Conducted in Medical Departments of the University Hospital of Marrakesh, Morocco

A generic medication is a copy of an original drug for which the patent has expired. It contains the same active substances and is equivalent in terms of safety, efficacy, and pharmaceutical quality. Generic drugs are produced after the expiration of the brand-name drug's patent, which enables greater competition and reduces costs for patients and healthcare systems. They are subjected to strict regulatory and quality control standards to ensure compliance with pharmaceutical norms. This study aims to determine the current status of generic drug prescribing within the medical departments of the Mohammed VI University Hospital (UH) of Marrakesh. This is a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical aims, involving 224 prescriptions issued in the medical departments of the Mohammed VI University Hospital (UH) of Marrakesh. To obtain the data required for the study, we included medical records, prescription sheets, and prescriptions delivered to hospitalized patients. In our study, 224 prescriptions were analyzed, with an overall total of 989 prescribed drugs, and a mean of 4.42 +- 2.39 drugs per prescription. Prescriptions from the Psychiatry Department accounted for 258 (26.09%) of total prescriptions, followed by those from the Cardiology Department at 130 (13.14%) and the Internal Medicine Department at 114 (11.53%). The generic prescribing rate for the UH's medical departments was 403 (40.75%). The Oncology Department had the highest generic prescribing rate (27 (64.29%)), followed by the Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology departments, at 29 (63.04%) and 34 (60.71%), respectively. In contrast, the Psychiatry Department had a generic prescribing rate of just 54 (20.93%). The most frequently prescribed classes as generic drugs were gastric antisecretory agents at 39 (100%), antiemetics at 32 (94.12%), and antivirals at nine (81.82%). The vast majority of drugs, 896 (90.59%), were reimbursable. In conclusion, we have noted that the generic drug prescription rate at the UH remains average compared with other institutions, and needs to be improved to optimize resources and control healthcare costs.

Utilization patterns of cardiovascular medications in patients with diabetes mellitus; a retrospective cross-sectional study, 2013-17

BACKGROUND

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a prominent health care issue worldwide. One of the most prevalent comorbidities of DM is cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to assess the utilization patterns of cardiovascular medications in patients with DM in Iran from 2013 to 2017.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional study was undertaken using prescription claims data from 2013 to 2017 in Iran. Epidemiological data elements used in this study were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study. In addition, data on total medication sales were obtained from the national regulatory authority database. The data on medication utilization were analyzed according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification (ATC) /Defined Daily Doses (DDD) international system.

RESULTS

Based on the findings, Acetylsalicylic acid was the mainstay of treatment with a utilization rate of 191.7 DDD/ patient/ year in 2017, followed by Atorvastatin with 170.0 and Losartan with 115.1. Although there was an increasing trend in the utilization rate of the medications, the rate of Atenolol and Enalapril was constantly declining during the 2013-17 period. On the other hand, Valsartan and Metoprolol were attracting attention. Almost all medication utilization rates increased from the 30-39 age group up to the 80 + age group. Females had a higher utilization rate in each age group during the whole study period.

CONCLUSION

The present study reflects that medication utilization patterns were rational, according to the standard treatment guidelines. Utilization patterns of medications that are recommended for both prevention and treatment of CVD in diabetes were observed to be the highest. Implementation of further policies is needed to minimize cardiovascular complications of diabetes.

The role of pharmacist in guiding the pharmacy clients towards pharmaceutical preparations use

Objectives

Pharmacist-client communication is one of the most significant relationships in the healthcare delivery system. Our study aims to assess the active role of the pharmacist in educating and guiding pharmacy clients who are receiving over-the-counter and/or pharmaceutical preparations properly and safely.

Methods

This study follows the descriptive and analytical approach by adapting the questionnaire instrument; the questionnaire was distributed through the Internet and the online survey using Google Forms was based on a quantitative measurement to estimate the independent and the dependent variables.

Key findings

The obtained data confirmed that there are statistically significant effects related to the pharmacist interaction skills (pharmacist’s trust, integrity, responsiveness and empathy) on guiding the consumers in taking medicines and pharmaceutical preparations effectively and safely.

Conclusions

The pharmacist’s role as a medications expert and member of multidisciplinary healthcare professional team must work in tandem with other healthcare professionals to guard the client’s safety and achieve good therapeutic outcomes.

A Population-Based Study on the Prognostic factors and Efficacy of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in the Postoperative Stage for Patients with Stage IIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective

This study aimed to design a nomogram survival prediction by means of the figures retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) source bank, and to predict the overall survival (OS) of patients with stage IIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgery.

Methods

Data for 4511 patients who had been diagnosed with postoperative stage IIA NSCLC were collected from the SEER databank, while information on 528 patients was acquired from the Chongqing University Cancer Hospital for the external validation cohort. The independent risk factors that affected the prognosis were identified using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model (also used to conduct a nomogram). A survival analysis between the low- and the high-risk groups was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis was conducted of the two groups using the Kaplan-Meier method to determine whether the patients had received adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results

The following five variables were integrated into the nomogram: sex (female: HR 1.73, 95% CI 0.64-0.83), age (≥60: HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.39-1.87), differentiation grade (grade II: HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.66-2.88; grade III: HR 2.65, 95% CI 2.00-3.51; grade IV: HR 3.17, 95% CI 1.99-5.03), surgery (lobectomy: HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.59-0.86), and lymph node resection (>12: HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.96). Furthermore, the patients selected were categorized into high- and low-risk groups. The OS rate was significantly lower in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (P < 0.001). Finally, adjuvant chemotherapy was highly correlated with OS in the high-risk set (P = 0.035); however, adjuvant chemotherapy was not related to OS in the low-risk set.

Conclusion

A nomogram was created as a reliable, convenient scheme that could predict OS, and it was determined that the high-risk feature patients identified by the nomogram gained benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy.