Key Points
- To describe antihypertensive drug prescription patterns, evaluate short-term blood pressure control outcomes, and identify intervention points to optimize therapy.
- Conducted a cross-sectional retrospective drug use review analyzing 200 randomly selected case notes of hypertensive patients between June 1 and August 31, 2002, at a tertiary hospital in South-Western Nigeria.
- Documented classes of antihypertensive and co-prescribed drugs, payment methods, adherence records, and therapy modifications.
- Diuretics were the most prescribed antihypertensive class (39.4%), followed by centrally acting agents (23.3%), calcium channel blockers (21%), ACE inhibitors (8.6%), and beta blockers (1.9%).
- Blood pressure control was adequate in only 33.9% of patients, with no significant difference by sex (p > 0.05), but control was significantly higher in the 44% of patients who received at least one drug regimen change (p < 0.05).
- Adequate drug adherence was documented in 82.5% of patients, all patients paid out-of-pocket, and potential harmful drug interactions occurred in 3.8% (49) of cases.
Structured PICO
PPopulationn=200 hypertensive patients at a tertiary care facility in South-Western Nigeria
IInterventionAnti-hypertensive drug therapy
OOutcomeDrug utilization pattern and blood pressure controlsurrogate
In a Nigerian tertiary care setting, diuretics were the most commonly prescribed antihypertensives, but overall blood pressure control was poor (33.9%).