Prescribing trends and rational drug use patterns in cardiovascular patients: A cross-sectional observational study

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), encompassing conditions like coronary artery disease, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, are highly prevalent worldwide. This study analyzed prescribing trends and treatment appropriateness in CVD patients, focusing on adherence to guidelines, essential medicine use and generic drug prescriptions. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on CVD-diagnosed patients. Data on prescribed medications-including drug classes, generic prescriptions and adherence to the Essential Drug List (EDL)-were collected and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26.0. The most frequently prescribed drug classes included antiplatelets, diuretics and hypolipidemics. Aspirin was the most commonly prescribed medication (58.1%), followed by furosemide (36.5%), amlodipine (32.4%) and rosuvastatin (24.3%). Statins and calcium channel blockers were prescribed more often than angiotensin II receptor blockers and beta-blockers. On average, 13.2 drugs were prescribed per patient, with only 28.8% prescribed generically. Furthermore, 47.3% of medications were on the EDL. This study highlights the high prevalence of CVDs and the common drug classes prescribed to manage them. These findings provide important insights into current prescribing trends, particularly the frequent use of anti-hypertensive, antiplatelets, diuretics and hypolipidemics and suggest areas for optimizing medication management in this population. Additionally, there is a need to better manage polypharmacy in CVD patients.