Improper prescribing habits and inappropriate drug use lead to serious health and economic consequences. This study was undertaken to evaluate drug utilization services and prescription patterns of homeopathic doctors in a government homeopathic teaching hospital in India.

To our knowledge, prescription of homeopathic medicines by homeopathic undergraduate students has not been studied before though it may possess serious implications. We aimed to determine the practice and attitudes of prescription by homeopathic undergraduate students.

OBJECTIVEImproper prescribing habits and inappropriate drug use lead to serious health and economic consequences. This study was undertaken to evaluate drug utilization services and prescription patterns of homeopathic doctors in a government homeopathic teaching hospital in India.

METHODSNo standardized homeopathic drug use indicators are available. The researchers used indicators for health care setting (drug availability)-modified prescribing indicators and patient care indicators, based on World Health Organization's core drug use indicators. A cross-sectional, prospective, institutional, observational study of 2-month duration with record analysis was conducted on 600 patients visiting seven different outpatient departments (OPDs) for the first time at Mahesh Bhattacharyya Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Howrah, West Bengal, India, using the developed indicators.

RESULTSOverall availability of prescribed drugs was quite satisfactory (92.28%). Centesimal potencies accounted for the majority of prescriptions (74.76%). There was a poor record of diagnosis (39.17%) except in the OPDs of Gynecology and Obstetrics (68.48%, P < 0.01) and Dermatology (64.58%, P < 0.01). Records of investigational findings and ongoing therapies, if any, were also poor except OPDs of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Pediatrics. Structure of prescriptions was maintained satisfactorily in all the OPDs. Though tendency of using 'individualized homeopathy' predominated, there also existed the use of 'polypharmacy'. Mean consultation time was 5.9 min. Labeling was extremely poor and is an area needing improvement. The prescriptions were highly legible.

CONCLUSIONThis was a preliminary study, conducted for the first time in homeopathy using newly developed indicators that yield meaningful results. Further studies are necessary in order to evaluate the different factors involved and to plan future interventions to improve the quality of care in healthcare settings.

Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drug Utilization ; Female ; Homeopathy ; Humans ; India ; Male ; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital ; Patient Care ; Practice Patterns, Physicians' ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo our knowledge, prescription of homeopathic medicines by homeopathic undergraduate students has not been studied before though it may possess serious implications. We aimed to determine the practice and attitudes of prescription by homeopathic undergraduate students.

METHODSA cross-sectional study was carried out involving all the students from four government homeopathic schools of West Bengal, India. Ethical requirements were ensured and data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Chi-square tests and logistic univariate regression analyses were performed to identify associations and differences.

RESULTSA total of 328 forms were completed. Of these, 264 (80.5%) homeopathic undergraduate students admitted of prescribing medicines independently and most (40.5%) said that they did this 2-3 times a year. The most common reasons for this were 'urgency of the problem' (35.2%), 'previous experience with same kind of illness' (31.8%), and 'the problem too trivial to go to a doctor' (25.8%). About 63.4% of the students thought that it was alright to independently diagnose an illness while 51.2% thought that it was alright for them to prescribe medicines to others. Common conditions encountered were fever, indigestion, and injury. Students who prescribed medicines were more likely to belong to Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital (odds ratio = 5.8; 95% confidence interval 2.247-14.972). Prescription by students gradually increased with academic years of homeopathic schools. Many students thought it was alright for students to diagnose and treat illnesses.

CONCLUSIONPrescription of medicines by homeopathic undergraduate students is quite rampant and corrective measures are warranted.

Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drug Prescriptions ; standards ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Homeopathy ; education ; manpower ; standards ; Humans ; India ; Male ; Students ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult