Comorbidity Prevalence and Prescription Pattern Among Hiv Positive Patients Attending General Hospital Oron

Evaluating prescription pattern is a measure of drug utilization to assess appropriate quality of therapy. The research work focuses on evaluating commorbidty prevalence among HIV positive patients and their prescription pattern in General Hospital, Oron through assessment of patients folders and reviewing data based on prescribing indicators of World Health Organization. The aim of this study is to evaluate comorbidity burden and assess the prescription pattern of medications in HIV-positive patients with comorbidities, focusing on identifying potential drug-drug interactions and evaluating the prevalence of polypharmacy. This descriptive retrospective study assessed 350 prescriptions issued to different patients attending the health facility in the last two years. Patient’s prescription folders were selected based on age, 18years old and above. Data generated from the prepared data forms were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 after manual verification and cleaning. Descriptive statistics (means and percentages) was used to present the results Out of a total of 2390 drugs prescribed, the average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was 6.83%, 96.31% generic names of drugs were used in prescribing, while only 3.69% branded names of drugs were prescribed , 97.11% of the prescribed drugs were given by oral route while 1.42% of the drugs were administered via parenteral route, 75.77% of the drugs prescribed were included in the Essential Drug List (EDL) A total of 1009 antimicrobials were prescribed in all 350 prescriptions, of which antibacterial had the percentage of 58.37. This study revealed that Tuberculosis was prevalent in the research site. The problem of polypharmacy, and antimicrobials were the most challenging that seek immediate redress. Based on this study continuous training of prescribers on the rational use of drug, creation of awareness of comorbidity burden in HIV and prevention/ reduction in polypharmacy is highly recommended.