Research Article
Core Prescribing Indicators and the Most Commonly Prescribed Medicines in a Tertiary Health Care Setting in a Developing Country
Table 1
The ten most prescribed medicines in each discipline.
| | Number of prescriptions (%) | | Clinical Medicine (N = 320) | Obstetrics and Gynaecology (N = 320) | Paediatrics (N = 278) | Psychiatry (N = 80) | Surgery (N = 320) |
| | Atorvastatin: 180 (56.2) | Folic acid 139 (44.3) | Salbutamol (In) 109 (39.2) | Benzhexol 30 (37.5) | Paracetamol: 133 (41.6) | | Omeprazole: 129 (40.3) | Ferrous sulphate 129 (40.3) | Paracetamol 79 (28.4) | Olanzapine 30 (37.5) | Omeprazole: 104 (32.5) | | Paracetamol: 115 (35.9) | Ascorbic acid 127 (39.7) | Beclomethasone inhaler 47 (16.9) | Risperidone 25 (31.2) | Thyroxine: 81 (25.3) | | Aspirin: 105 (32.8) | Calcium lactate 111 (34.7) | Sodium valproate 46 (16.6) | Lorazepam 21 (26.2) | Diclofenac sodium: 76 (23.8) | | Losartan: 91 (28.4) | Paracetamol 77 (24.1) | Chlorpheniramine 42 (15.1) | Clonazepam 16 (20.0) | Metronidazole: 56 (17.5) | | Furosemide: 87 (27.2) | Metronidazole 52 (16.2) | Folic acid 33 (11.9) | Venlafaxine 16 (20.0) | Morphine (IV/SC): 51 (15.9) | | Metformin: 84 (26.2) | Metoclopramide 44 (13.8) | Topiramate 28 (10.1) | Fluoxetine 13 (16.2) | Co-amoxiclav: 48 (15.0) | | Clopidogrel: 83 (25.9) | Famotidine 39 (12.8) | Prednisolone 26 (9.4) | Lithium carbonate 10 (12.5) | Metoclopramide: 44 (13.8) | | Salbutamol (In): 70 (21.9) | Diclofenac sodium 37 (11.6) | Carbamazepine 24 (8.6) | Lactulose 9 (11.2) | Cefuroxime: 42 (13.1) | | Domperidone/Enalapril: 64∗ (20.0) | Domperidone 34 (10.6) | Domperidone 20 (7.2) | Promethazine (IM) 9 (11.2) | Domperidone 39 (12.8) |
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∗Equal number of prescriptions; IM, intramuscular; In, inhaled; IV, intravenous; SC, subcutaneous.
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