Monitoring of the Implementation of Non-Essential Drug Prescribing Criteria Measure in Case of Anti-Osteoporosis Drugs

Abstract

Background and objective: In the 2013 fiscal year, the Comptroller General’s Department (CGD), Thailand, had launched the Non-essential Drug Prescription Criteria (NPC) measure for high cost non-essential drug (NED) to encourage the rational drug use and control drug cost for patients under the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS). This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of the NPC measure in the prescription of non-essential drugs in the anti-osteoporosis group.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed by gathering the information about NPC measure from the electronic database and detail about clinical presentation or drug utilization supporting the use of NED from the medical records of the out-patients under CSMBS who received NED in anti-osteoporosis group at Srinagarind Hospital between August 1st and September 30th, 2014. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics.

Results: There were 463 patients recruited into the study. Patients were mainly female (94.2%) and aged over 65 (70.2%). The three highest prescribing drugs were alendronate plus cholecalciferol (41.7%), risedronate (22.9%) and ibandronate (11.0%). The most specified NPC was  item C (76.5%), followed by item B (17.7%) and item A (4.7%).   No detail about clinical presentation or drug utilization supporting the use of non-essential drug instead of essential drug (ED) was documented in the medical records.

Conclusions: Prescribing anti-osteoporosis drugs for the out-patients under CSMBS was generally complied with the NPC measure but the consistency between information in the electronic database and medical records could not be assessed.