General medications utilization and cost patterns in hospitalized 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.