Evaluation of WHO drug use indicators, prescription errors, and patterns of polypharmacy: a cross sectional study in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate prescribing patterns in Bangladesh, which is focus on drug–drug interactions, polypharmacy, and irrational prescribing practices to identify areas for improvement in medication management. 993 prescriptions were analyzed, with participants comprising 47.2% males and 52.5% females, selected from various regions of the country. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26. WHO drug indicators were investigated, average number of drugs, 3.91%, prescribed antibiotics (66.06%),illegible handwriting 58 (5.84) %, absence of prescriber name 649 (65.35) % and the drug-drug interaction were found 251 (25.28) %, Different groups of government hospitals, private clinics, and hospitals showed a significant difference (p≤0.001), the ANOVA test indicated significant differences in the healthcare section (p <0.001) and the age groups (p < 0.001) based on drug-drug indication. Polypharmacy showed a significant difference age group (p < 0.05), drug-drug interaction showed a significant difference healthcare section (p ≤ 0.001), and the age group 51-65 also differed to >65 (p≤0.017) as determined by the LSD Post Hoc Test. The findings underscore critical shortcomings in rational prescribing, highlighting the urgent need for targeted policy, training, and system-level interventions to improve medication safety in Bangladesh.