Prescription Pattern of Antimalarial Drugs in a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: As a response to the anti-malarial drug resistance situation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that treatment policies for falciparum malaria in all countries experiencing resistance to monotherapies should be combination therapies, preferably those containing an arteminisin derivative (ACTartemisinin- based combination therapy). Methodology: A retrospective quantitative study was designed to examine case records of patients treated for malaria in a tertiary health hospital in Jos, Northern part of Nigeria between August and December 2012. Questionaires were also distributed to doctors working within the hospital environment. Data on demographic, clinical features of disease, diagnostic procedures and drug administration were collected from the patients' records. Results: Case record files of 130 patients were selected, 80.7% of the patients were prescribed antimalarial drugs. 55.2% of patients admitted for malaria were males, 44.8% were between 21-50 years of age. Fever (35.2%) was the most common presenting symptom, 71.4% of the patients had diagnostic blood slides. Antimalarial drugs were prescribed for malaria and malaria associated with other disease conditions, artemisinin and lumefantrine was the most prescribed antimalarial agent. 44.0% of these drugs were prescribed by trade names, 29.0% were administered orally. The most antimalarial drug prescribed for prevention of malaria in pregnant women was sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, all the practitioners followed current WHO guidelines , half of the clinicians would prescribe parenteral antimalarial drugs for severe and cerebral malaria, laboratory and clinical assessment were used for malaria diagnosis, 71.4% of the physicians adhered to hospital guidelines. Conclusion: This study indicates the implementation of artemisinin combination therapy in a public health facility; However the success of this new treatment policy would depend on patient adherence to recommendations and provision of ACTs at subsidized costs in Nigeria.