A Study of Prescribing Patterns with Special Reference to Drug Use Indicators in Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

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Abstract
Drug prescribing patterns were studied in 720 retrospective and 779 prospective outpatient prescriptions from 20 dispensaries in Dar es Salaam region, and these revealed a mean drug exposure of 2.0 and 2.3, respectively. The percentage of patients leaving the dispensaries with no prescribed drugs was 1.3% and 0.7%, respectively. Prescriptions containing antibiotics were 36.8% (retrospective) and 39.8% (prospective), while injections accounted for 24.6% and 34% of the total encounters, respectively. Over 70% of prescriptions conformed to the Tanzania essential drug list (EDP) and/or standard treatment guidelines and consisted of 83.9% and 79.1% generic prescriptions, respectively. Interestingly, only 15% of the surveyed dispensaries had an EDP book and/or calendar. Despite the consulting and dispensing times being short (2.98 min and 77.7 s, respectively), 70% of the patients could remember the dosing instructions. Only 64% of the patients had a minimum physical examination.