A Survey of Prescribing Patterns in the Wassa West District of Ghana with Special Reference to Antibiotics

ABSTRACT Study title: A survey of prescribing patterns in the Wassa West district of Ghana with special reference to antibiotics. Statement of the problem: The availability, affordability and rational use of drugs constitute a fundamental indicator of quality of health care delivery. Ghana has spent up to 40% of its recurrent budget to ensure the availability of. drugs in the health system. However, irrational prescribing has led to a wastage in drugs supply. 4 - •' < . - - & J . In the Wassa West district, several obstacles to rational prescribing exist: These include the lack of an active programme to promote rational prescribing, the lack of objective information to guide prescribers in their practice in the face of an increasing array of new drugs and the aggressive promotional activities of drug companies. A previous rapid qualitative assessment of the pharmaceutical system in the district indicated that there were inappropriate prescribing practices. The absence of relevant, objective and measurable indicators limited the usefulness of the findings of the study as a basis for the evaluation of any interventions instituted to improve the prescribing practices. This study provides the requisite baseline measures of prescribing patterns in the district and identifies areas for targeted interventions. Main objective: To describe and compare the patterns of drug prescribing in government health facilities in the Wassa West district with a view to developing strategies to improve prescribing practices. Place of study: Seven government health facilities located at Tarkwa, Nsuaem, Simpa, Dompim, Bogoso, Huni Valley and Prestea Himan