Published January 20, 2026 | Version v1

DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERN AND RATIONAL USE OF MEDICINES IN AN ORTHOPAEDIC OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

  • 1. 1. Department of Orthopaedics, MGM Medical College, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.
  • 2. 2. Department of Pharmacology, MGM Medical College, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.

Description

Background: Rational use of medicines is essential for safe, effective and affordable patient care. The World Health Organization (WHO) core prescribing indicators provide a standardized tool to evaluate prescribing trends and promote rational medicine use. Orthopaedic outpatients frequently receive multiple analgesics and adjuvant drugs, which may predispose to polypharmacy and irrational prescribing.

Objectives:To evaluate drug utilization patterns and rational drug use in an orthopaedic outpatient department (OPD) of a tertiary care teaching hospital using WHO core prescribing indicators.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in the Orthopaedics OPD of MGM Medical College & Hospital, Aurangabad, India, from 1 May to 30 October 2025. Prescription records of adult patients (18 years) receiving at least one drug were included. Demographic details, ICD-10 diagnoses, number and class of drugs (ATC classification), routes and dosage forms, and whether drugs were prescribed by generic name and listed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) were recorded.

 

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