Evaluation of the Drug Utilization Pattern of Pre and Post Operative Medicines used in Surgical Department: A Prospective Observational Study

Background: Surgery is the art of treating lesions and malformations of the human body, which involves various surgical techniques. Various classes of drugs are being used in the surgery but unfortunately, the drug utilization pattern of these drugs particularly in developing countries like India, is still unsatisfactory. Thus, there is a need to conduct drug utilization studies of various medicines used in the surgical department. Objective: The main objective of the current study was to evaluate the drug utilization pattern of pre and post-operative medicines used in surgery to promote the rational use of medicines. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out over a period of 6 months (November 2017 to April 2018) at Global Hospital, Jalandhar, Punjab, India. A consent form was designed and filled by the patients after explaining the aims and objectives of the study. The Case Record Form (CRF) was designed to collect all the relevant information from the surgery patients. Results: A total of 271 cases have been reported and evaluated. 58.0% of patients were female and 42.0% of patients were male. The most common surgery was nailing, plating and knee replacement. In pre and post-operative procedures, the most common medicines prescribed were a combination of antimicrobials and antacids, followed by anti-emetics and analgesics. Conclusion: The prescribed medicines were less from the National Essential Medical List (EML) which should be increased in the future.