Psychotropic drugs prescriptions in Al-Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.
Psychotropic drugs prescriptions for patients attending psychiatric outpatient clinics were studied. Of the 52,168 prescriptions written in 1996, 18,265 were systematically, randomly selected and evaluated. Incomplete prescriptions were found; the data missing included duration of treatment (18.75%), sex (9.25%), age (8.75%) and diagnosis (7.50%). Antipsychotics (33.1%), antidepressants (23.2%), anticholinergics (22.0%) and anticonvulsants (12.9%) were the most frequently prescribed drugs. Polypharmacy (85%) was the predominant mode of practice. The most common diagnoses were mood (23.1%), anxiety (17.7%) and schizophrenic (16.2%) disorders. Medical education and quality monitoring programmes are suggested to improve the quality of psychotropic prescriptions and modify multiple pharmacotherapy practice.
al-Ghamdy
Y S
YS
Buraidah Mental Health Hospital, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Qureshi
N A
NA
Abdelghadir
M H
MH
al-Habeeb
T A
TA
Ahmad
S A
SA
D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D012529:Saudi Arabia
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs