A prospective observational study on drug utilization pattern in dermatology OPD at a tertiary care centre in South India

Introduction: Drug utilization research plays an important role in assessing prescription quality and promoting rational drug use, thereby minimizing adverse drug reactions, drug–drug interactions, and unnecessary financial burden on patients. Since the skin is the largest organ of the body, dermatology outpatients are often prescribed a wide range of medications. This study aims to analyze the prescribing trends in a dermatology outpatient department (OPD). Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was carried out in the dermatology OPD of a tertiary care hospital in Chennai. A total of 600 electronic prescriptions were collected over a three-month period and evaluated for drug utilization using patient demographics and World Health Organization (WHO) core prescribing indicators. Results: Males constituted 55% of the study population. The majority of patients were between 31 and 40 years of age. Antihistamines emerged as the most frequently prescribed drug class. The mean number of drugs per prescription was 3.58. Generic prescribing accounted for 36.47%. Antibiotics were used in 21.6% of prescriptions, while injectable drugs appeared in 2.1%. Overall, 36.5% of drugs were prescribed from the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for dermatologists to increase generic prescribing and adopt drugs from the NLEM to ensure rational prescribing, minimize adverse events, and provide cost-effective therapy for dermatology outpatients.