Evaluation of Drug Use Based on the WHO Prescribing Indicator in Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, South Western Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Rational drug use comprises aspects of prescribing, dispensing, and patient use of medicines for different health problems. This study is aimed to assess drug prescribing practices based on the world health organization prescribing indicators in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Methods: An institutional-based, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the prescribing practices in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Data were collected based on the World health organization's drug use indicators using prescription papers. A total of 600 prescriptions, written for a 1-year time, dispensed through the general outpatient pharmacy of the hospital were collected by a systematic random sampling method from Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Results: The present study found that the average number of drugs per prescription was 2.04 ± 0.87 in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital, with a range between 1 and 5. Prescribing by generic name was 97.6%, and 47.8% of prescriptions contained antibiotics in the hospital. 27.7% of prescriptions contained at least one injectable medication in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. From prescribed drugs, 96.7% of them were prescribed from the Ethiopian essential drug list. Conclusion: Present study indicated that the average number of drugs prescribed per encounter, the percentage of generic prescribing, and prescribing from the EDL were close to the optimal value. However, the percentage of encounters with antibiotics and injections prescribed was found to be very high. Thus, the study highlights some improvements in prescribing habits, particularly by focusing on the inappropriate consumption of antibiotics and injections.