DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERN AMONG TYPE II DIABETIC PATIENTS IN PALESTINE
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Date
2023-09-24
Authors
Mai Ayed Ahmad Awad
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Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus is a type of frequent metabolic illnesses that leads to hyperglycemia from a number of different pathogenic pathways. Drug utilization studies on anti-diabetic agents is essential for encouraging responsible drug use and providing useful data for health planning.
Objective: This study aims to describe the drug utilization and the drug description pattern of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in Palestine and determine whether it follows the international guidelines of taking hypoglycemic medications in T2DM specially the initial drug prescribed after diagnosis with T2DM mainly in patients treated in diabetic health care centers in MOH.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in patients treated in diabetic health care centers in Ministry of Health (MOH). The study participants were selected randomly, and 400 patients were interviewed from the diabetic clinics in the northern and middle areas of the West Bank, Palestine. All ethical guidelines were taken into consideration in this study.
Results: The results showed that 400 patients were interviewed, 138 (34.5%) were males and 262 (65.5%) were females. The mean age of the patients is 60 years old. The most initial drug prescribed for diabetic patients was metformin. The study's adherence showed that 68% of patients take their medicines as directed yet 24% occasionally forget. Also, vast majority of diabetic patients (about 90%) follow their prescribed medication regimen, taking the recommended dosage exactly as indicated and neither more nor less. Our analysis's findings indicated that there isn't a statistically significant difference in the way that metformin is prescribed in various areas. Glimepiride prescriptions, however, differed statistically significantly (p=0.01) throughout the areas that were visited.
Conclusion: Findings of the study have revealed that the most often used medication was metformin as initial therapy, followed by glimepiride. Combination treatment was more frequently used. Therefore, steps may be taken to promote rational prescription by studying the present prescribing practices.
Keywords: Drug utilization review, Diabetes mellitus type II, oral hypoglycemic agents, hyperglycemia.