Prescribing pattern of drugs in stroke patients: A prospective study

Objectives : The population-based estimates confirm a rising trend in both incidence and prevalence of stroke in India. The main objective is to assess the prescribing pattern of drugs in hospitalized stroke patients. Materials and Methods: A Prospective observational study was carried out for a period of 6 months in the inpatient department. The inclusion criteria of the present study are patients of either sex aged ≥ 18 years, patients who were diagnosed as a stroke patient, and admitted in the intensive care unit of the hospital. Results: A total of 102 prescriptions were analyzed during the 6-month study period. This was found to be higher in men 68 (33.33%). A total of 69 (67.64%) were having habits of smoking and alcohol consumption. In the study of 102 patients, 69 (32%) were identified as ischemic stroke patients and 33 (32%) suffered hemorrhagic stroke. The major co-morbidities identified were hypertension and diabetics mellitus, which were seen in 34 (33.33%) and 18 (17.64%), respectively. Among the 102 patients, 77 (75.49%) were administered cerebral activators. In this study of prescriptions of drugs in stroke, majority of the patients were treated with neurotonics drugs. Among the 102 patients, 85 (83.33%) were administered neurotonics drugs. In this study, we observed that the most popular antiplatelet was clopidogrel, which was prescribed to 48 (47.05%). In anticoagulants, only enoxaprain was used in our hospital for stroke patients. This medication was administered to 27 (26.47%) patients. Conclusion: The prescribing pattern of drugs should be based on severity of stroke, associated co-morbid conditions, and currently available evidences in order to promote the quality use of drugs.