Patterns of Cardiovascular Drug Prescriptions in a Rural Tertiary Care Hospital: Insights from the Cardiology Outpatient Department in Anand

Prescription pattern monitoring studies (PPMS) are crucial for evaluating medication use, particularly in managing cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and ischemic heart disease. This study examined the prescribing patterns of cardiovascular drugs in a rural tertiary care hospital’s cardiology OPD, according to WHO core prescribing indicators.

An observational, hospital-based study was conducted over three months, with approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. The study evaluated prescriptions for commonly prescribed cardiovascular drugs, focusing on CVD alone, CVD with comorbidities and CVD with other conditions. A number of drugs prescribed by generic versus brand name, monotherapy versus combination therapy, and the essentiality of drugs based on the Essential Drugs List (EDL) and National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) were evaluated. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis.

A total of 176 prescriptions containing 97 different drugs were evaluated. Of these, 24.48% were for patients with CVD alone, 27.79% for CVD with comorbidities and 47.63% for CVD with other conditions. Generic drugs were prescribed in 62.43% of cases. Antiplatelets, sympatholytics, diuretics, and RAAS blockers were the most commonly prescribed drugs. Among 176 prescriptions consisted of 97 drugs, the majority of them prescribed as monotherapy and then a Two-drug regimen and found Essential according to EDL 42.27% and NLEM 39.18%.

This study highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to managing CVD and related conditions, highlighting the preference for generic medications to enhance accessibility and affordability, personalized patient care and the careful selection of medications to maximize therapeutic benefits while minimizing risks.