Prescribing pattern for osteoarthritis in A tertiary care hospital

Background: Treatment of osteoarthritis aims at reducing pain and improving mobility. NSAIDs are widely prescribed for symptomatic relief despite well-known adverse effects. Paracetamol with its better safety profile is recommended as the initial analgesic of choice. SYSADOA is a generic term used for symptomatic slow acting drugs for osteoarthitis, and includes glucosamine sulphate and related compounds, chondroitin sulphate, and diacerein. SYSADOA when compared to NSAIDs, are safer, comparable in symptomatic efficacy and better in structure modifying efficacy in osteoarthritis. A drug utilization study is considered to be one of the most effective methods to assess and evaluate the prescribing attitude of physicians. Despite the considerable socio-economic impact of OA, not many studies have established the drug-prescribing trend in India. Hence we decided to study the prescribing pattern of SYSADOA, paracetamol and NSAIDs in OA vis-à-vis the standard recommendations and in the process provide constructive feedback to prescribing clinicians. Methods: Prescriptions for osteoarthritic patients collected cross-sectionally for six months from an orthopaedic outpatient unit in a tertiary care hospital, were analysed. Results: Out of 154 prescriptions analysed, 7% were prescribed glucosamine and chondroitin, while 4% received diacerein. Paracetamol was prescribed in 17% cases. NSAIDs were prescribed in 84%, with 27% receiving two or more NSAIDs simultaneously. Conclusion: SYSADOA and paracetamol were under-prescribed while NSAIDs were probably over-prescribed.