Empirical Study of Drug Utilisation Patterns in the Management of Hypertension in a Teaching Hospital in Ogun State

Drug utilisation studies generate essential evidence for rationalising antihypertensive pharmacotherapy in hospital settings, yet comprehensive empirical utilisation analyses specifically examining prescribing patterns and their concordance with evidence-based guidelines are limited for South West Nigerian hospitals. This study empirically analysed drug utilisation patterns in the management of hypertension at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu, Ogun State, over a 24-month period. A retrospective drug utilisation study was conducted using prescription and medication administration records for 360 confirmed hypertensive inpatients and outpatients. DDD/1000 patient-days methodology was applied for quantitative drug utilisation analysis. Adherence to the Nigerian Hypertension Society treatment guidelines and the Seventh Joint National Committee recommendations for compelling indications was assessed. Results showed amlodipine to be the most utilised antihypertensive (DDD 186.3/1000 patient-days), followed by hydrochlorothiazide (DDD 132.7) and lisinopril (DDD 98.4). Fixed-dose combination use was recorded in only 22.8 percent of patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Compelling indication-concordant prescribing was observed in 67.3 percent of patients with diabetes co-morbidity and 58.4 percent of those with heart failure. Rational drug use indicators showed poly-pharmacy above three antihypertensives in 19.7 percent of uncontrolled patients. The study identifies opportunities for rationalising antihypertensive drug utilisation and recommends pharmacist-mediated medication review and guideline concordance audits as priority interventions.

Keywords: drug utilisation, antihypertensives, hypertension management, Ogun State, prescribing patterns