title: Prescribing trend of antimalarial drugs at the Ghana Police Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malaria ranks among the top three leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Appropriate use of recommended antimalarial drugs is vital in the effective management of malaria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study sought to assess the prescribing trend of antimalarial drugs at the Ghana Police Hospital. Antimalarial drug prescribing trends from 3,127 patient cards were assessed at the pharmacy unit of the hospital between December 2012 and May 2013 using modified World Health Organization rational drug prescribing indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 6,697 drugs assessed from the patient cards, antimalarial drugs prescribed included artemether-lumefantrine, 4,226 (63.1%), artemether injection with artemether-lumefantrine tablets, 1,741 (26%), artesunate injection, 241 (3.6%), artemether injection, 194 (2.9%), and artesunate-amodiaquine tablets, 188 (2.8%). The average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was 2.1. A total of 4,052 (60.5%) drugs were prescribed by their generic names, and 2,645 (39.5%) were prescribed by their brand names. There were 2,250 (33.6%) encounters with injection (33.6%), and 6,001 (89.6%) of the prescribed drugs were from the essential drugs list. Prescriptions conforming to recommended dosage regimen totaled 6,328 (94.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The antimalarial prescribing pattern at the hospital was generally satisfactory. However, the use of injectable antimalarials appeared to be high.
authors.affiliation: Ghana Police Hospital, Pharmacy Department, Accra, Ghana. acpdank77@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel Kwame
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Afriyie
authors.forename: Seth Kwabena
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Amponsah
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Antwi
authors.forename: Stephen Yayra
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Nyoagbe
authors.forename: Kwasi Agyei
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bugyei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016495:Police
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials