# Drug prescribing patterns at primary health care level and related out-of-pocket expenditures in Tajikistan

Donadel, Morgane and Karimova, Gulzira and Nabiev, Ruslan and Wyss, Kaspar. (2016) Drug prescribing patterns at primary health care level and related out-of-pocket expenditures in Tajikistan. BMC Health Services Research, 16 (1). p. 556.

Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/44538/

Results: There were 1281 (80.1 %) patients who received a drug prescription after visiting a doctor at PHC level. 16.2 % of them had five or more drugs prescribed concomitantly. The number of drugs prescribed to patients ranged from 0 to 8 and was statistically different across regions (RRS region =3.3; Khatlon region = 3.1; p = 0.05), after adjusting for age and sex. In 31.1 % of cases, prescriptions included an intra-venous (IV) injection; in 45.6 % of cases, a non-IV injection; in 52.9 % of cases, an antibiotic; and in 61.0 % of cases, vitamins. Patients suffering from a respiratory disease had higher odds of being prescribed an IV injection and antibiotics. Vitamins were widely prescribed across all diseases. In 94.5 % of cases, the patients interviewed procured at least one of the prescribed drugs. Among those who received a prescription, 2.0 % were not able to procure at least one drug due to a lack of money. In 94.9 % of cases, respondents reported purchasing drugs in private pharmacies. Median expenditures for drugs procured following consultation were 45 TS (US$6.9) corresponding to 77.6 % of total expenditures related to the visit (58 TS, US$ 8.8).