Study on Use of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs(NSAIDs) in Chikugo City Hospital with a View to Promoting Rational Drug Use (1)

During the period March 2000-February 2001, we conducted a study on prescriptions to determine how non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were being used in Chikugo City Hospital, a medium-sized hospital, in order to promote rational drug use. The use of NSAIDs was evaluated for 10 clinical departments, together and individually. We found that Diclofenac (DIC) and sodium loxoprofen were used to about the same extent in almost all departments and that Acetaminophen (ACE) was also prescribed as frequently as DIC. Except for ACE, no NSAIDs were used for children, particularly in the case of those under 9 years in age. We also evaluated the co-prescription of NSAIDs with H2-receptor antagonists because NSAIDs are known to cause gastric adverse reactions. The number of patients who had been prescribed H2-receptor antagonists increased with patient age, especially for those over fifty years old. Zaltprofen was more frequently coprescribed with H2-receptor antagonists than other NSAIDs. The prescription of etodolac was also found to increase with patient age, particularly so for those over fifty. Thus, we consider that information obtained by studying prescriptions can be used to evaluate the intentions of those prescribing drugs and clarify problems in the use of NSAIDs.