Volume 41, Issue 4, February 2024, Pages 1109–1120
Samuel Bosongo1, Meffy Mokwano2, Alpha Ngandru3, and Eugène Basandja4
1 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, RD Congo
2 Provincial Health Division of Tshopo, Kisangani, RD Congo
3 Provincial Health Division of Tshopo, Kisangani, RD Congo
4 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2024 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Introduction: Irrational prescription of drugs is still a public health issue, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess prescribing quality using WHO indicators and identify factors associated with antibiotic prescribing at first-line health facilities in the city of Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. Using systematic sampling, we selected 21 first-line health facilities and 715 outpatient consultation forms. We then performed univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses using Epi Info7 and OpenEpi 3.01. Results: The average number of drugs prescribed per consultation was 4.0 (SD=1.5); the percentages of consultations with an antibiotic and an injection prescribed were 69.2% and 69.5%, respectively; 75.2% of drugs were prescribed by generic name, and 83.5% were from the national essential drugs list. Factors associated with antibiotic prescribing were the absence of care flowcharts in health facilities (OR= 0.36, 95%CI= 0.20-0.63), two or more diagnoses (OR= 1.51, 95%CI=1.05-2.17), three or more drugs prescribed (OR=4.12, 95%CI=2.49-6.79), and more than ten years of prescriber’s professional experience (OR=1.92, 95%CI=1.33-2.78). Conclusion: The prescribing indicators did not align with WHO standards, demonstrating the poor rationality of drug prescribing behaviour. Promoting rational drug prescribing in first-line health facilities, with a particular focus on antibiotics, is necessary.
Author Keywords: First-line facilities, Drugs, prescribing indicators, Antibiotics, World Health Organisation, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Samuel Bosongo1, Meffy Mokwano2, Alpha Ngandru3, and Eugène Basandja4
1 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, RD Congo
2 Provincial Health Division of Tshopo, Kisangani, RD Congo
3 Provincial Health Division of Tshopo, Kisangani, RD Congo
4 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2024 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Introduction: Irrational prescription of drugs is still a public health issue, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess prescribing quality using WHO indicators and identify factors associated with antibiotic prescribing at first-line health facilities in the city of Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. Using systematic sampling, we selected 21 first-line health facilities and 715 outpatient consultation forms. We then performed univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses using Epi Info7 and OpenEpi 3.01. Results: The average number of drugs prescribed per consultation was 4.0 (SD=1.5); the percentages of consultations with an antibiotic and an injection prescribed were 69.2% and 69.5%, respectively; 75.2% of drugs were prescribed by generic name, and 83.5% were from the national essential drugs list. Factors associated with antibiotic prescribing were the absence of care flowcharts in health facilities (OR= 0.36, 95%CI= 0.20-0.63), two or more diagnoses (OR= 1.51, 95%CI=1.05-2.17), three or more drugs prescribed (OR=4.12, 95%CI=2.49-6.79), and more than ten years of prescriber’s professional experience (OR=1.92, 95%CI=1.33-2.78). Conclusion: The prescribing indicators did not align with WHO standards, demonstrating the poor rationality of drug prescribing behaviour. Promoting rational drug prescribing in first-line health facilities, with a particular focus on antibiotics, is necessary.
Author Keywords: First-line facilities, Drugs, prescribing indicators, Antibiotics, World Health Organisation, Democratic Republic of Congo.
How to Cite this Article
Samuel Bosongo, Meffy Mokwano, Alpha Ngandru, and Eugène Basandja, “Evaluation of drug prescribing patterns and factors associated with antibiotics prescribing at first-line health facilities in the city of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 1109–1120, February 2024.
