ABSTRACT:
Background: General medications utilization also called drug utilization mainly focuses on the parameters related to the prescribing, dispensing, and administering of medications, its therapeutic efficacy or adverse effects. Aim: To analyze the general medications utilization, cost minimization analysis of antibiotics in hepatic impairment patients at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: This prospective and observational based study was undertaken in the general medicine wards of the Manipal Super Specialty Hospital. Each patient age, sex, diagnosis (only hepatic impairment) and prescribed generic and brand names of the drugs were recorded. The collected data was analyzed in MS Excel and descriptive statistics were used for analyzing the result of the study. Results: The results are evident that maximum cases of Hepatic Impairment were found to be pancreatitis 61(30.5%). The majority of the patients out of 200 were in the age group 31-40 (n=46, 23%) followed by 51-60 (n=36, 18%). some drugs that are having cost percentage greater than 30 have to minimize the cost. Conclusion: The prevalence of pancreatitis in this current study was reported as 30.5% (n=61). By performing Cost minimization analysis it is evident that same drug molecule with the same strength varying in costs in different brands which will give similar clinical outcomes. Clinical pharmacologist or clinical pharmacist should be instituted for a better drug prescription, medications utilization control and cost minimization of drugs in a healthcare organization.