title: OUTPATIENT PRESCRIBING PRACTICES AT MBAGATHI DISTRICT HOSPITAL-NAIROBI COUNTY.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess medicine use practices by using WHO prescribing and patient care indicators in Mbagathi Hospital outpatient department.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hospital based retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mbagathi District Hospital outpatient department between 1st January to 30th June 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measures used in this study included, total number of medicines in a prescription, proportion of medicines in the essential drug list, proportion in generic names, proportion with injectables and antibiotics and percentage actually dispensed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total number of drugs prescribed was 1,506. On average, each patient was prescribed 3.85 types of drugs. A total of 835 drugs were prescribed by generic name, accounting for 25.6% of total number of drugs prescribed (1,506). Out of 391 sampled prescriptions, 266 had antibiotics accounting for (68.0%). A relatively small proportion of the prescriptions, 9.5% had an injection. A total of 1,087 drugs were prescribed according to the essential drugs list or formulary, accounting for 72.2% of total number of drugs prescribed (1,506). Only 55.2% of total medicines prescribed were actually dispensed and the rest were out of stock.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prescribing practices in this study are not satisfactory, as suggested by polypharmacy, over prescription of antibiotics, prescribing by brand names and lack of awareness of essential drugs list.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Muyu
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Mbakaya
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Makokha
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018954:Drugs, Essential / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006767:Hospitals, District / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018954:Drugs, Essential; D016568:Drugs, Generic