A Retrospective Study on Drug Utilization Evaluation of Anti-epileptics

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological & non-communicable disorder of the brain that affects around 50 million people worldwide. It is characterized by recurrent seizures, which are brief episodes of involuntary movement that may involve a part of the body (partial) or the entire body (generalized) and are sometimes accompanied by loss of consciousness and uncontrolled bowel or bladder function. It is estimated in various studies that the overall prevalence in India is 5.59-10 per 1000. Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) is an authorized and structured ongoing review of practitioner prescribing, pharmacist dispensing and patient use of medications. The purpose of DUE is to ensure drugs are used appropriately, safely and effectively to improve patient health status.The objective of this study is to identify the most common type of therapy in different types of seizures and to identify the most prescribed drug and combination of drugs in monotherapy and polytherapy respectively. This study suggests the importance of DUE program as a tool for improving clinical care and dynamic role of clinical pharmacist in clinical sector.