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General medications utilization and cost patterns in hospitalized children

Doaa Okasha1, Imad Kassis2, Salim Haddad3

  • 1Clinical Pharmacology Institute, Rambam Health Care Campus. Haifa ( Israel ).

Pharmacy Practice
|August 23, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric drug utilization differed between two hospital units, with one unit showing higher prescription rates and costs. This highlights variations in medication prescribing habits for children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pharmacology
  • Hospital pharmacy
  • Drug utilization studies

Background:

  • In-patient drug utilization provides insights into prescribing trends, formulary efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
  • Pediatric prescribing habits often differ from adult patterns, necessitating specific analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze general medication utilization patterns and associated costs in two pediatric admission units.
  • To compare medication use between pediatric admission units in a tertiary care university hospital, excluding antimicrobial prescriptions.

Main Methods:

  • A descriptive study prospectively screened electronic health records of hospitalized children (excluding antimicrobial use).
  • The prescription-point prevalence method was used to analyze medication prescriptions from October 2007 to April 2008.
  • Data from 252 (Unit A) and 253 (Unit B) children were analyzed, with one medication counted as one prescription.

Main Results:

  • Unit B exhibited significantly higher general medication prescription numbers per patient (10.9) compared to Unit A (8.4).
  • The drug utilization 90% (DU90%) index revealed higher medication use in Unit B (5,499) versus Unit A (2,259).
  • Unit A incurred a higher medication cost (20,263 NIS) despite lower prescription volume compared to Unit B (6,269 NIS).

Conclusions:

  • Significant differences in general medication prescription utilization were observed between the two pediatric units.
  • Unit A demonstrated lower prescription rates by DU90% but higher medication costs, suggesting potential inefficiencies.
  • Drug-drug interactions were identified in approximately 19% of patients in both units.
Abstract

Keywords:
ChildDrug UtilizationInpatientsIsrael

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