EVALUATION OF DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERNS IN GERIATRIC PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AT A TERTIARY CARE RURAL HOSPITAL

Introduction: The elderly population has been defined as people who are older than 60 years. Essential Hypertension and Type 2 diabetes mellitus are rapidly emerging as public health problems among the geriatric population. WHO Core Drug Prescribing Indicators are used to measure Drug Utilization Patterns because it serve as the foundation for implementing changes to drug dispensing policies at the local and national levels. Irrational drug use can lead to adverse outcomes such as a decline in medication adherence, and the risk of drug-drug interactions, all of which can invariably lead to an increased risk of hospitalization, fatality rate, and healthcare costs. Objectives: To study the drug utilization patterns in Geriatric patients having Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus using WHO core drug prescribing indicators. Methods: This is an Observational, Cross-sectional study, data was collected in the Case record form from Medicine OPD. Geriatric Patients with HTN, Type-2DM both HTN and Type 2 DM were included in the study. This study found out Drug prescribing patterns using WHO core drug prescribing indicators. Ethical Committee number: IEC/MIMER/2024/INST/1011. Results: In the present study total of 150 cases were studied with age => 60 years of both sexes. There was a higher prevalence of DM (37.3%) over HTN (32.6%), with a significant portion (30%) affected by both, and gender differences showed a high prevalence of individual conditions in females where whereas co-occurrence was higher in males. Most patients were on a two-drug regimen, with a strong preference for Amlodipine in HTN and Metformin in DM, supporting established therapeutic guidelines. The high reliance on tablets (97.43%) versus injections and the use of over 65% of Essential Drug List (EDL) medications suggested a cost-effective approach suitable for chronic disease management in the geriatric population. Conclusion: The study observed drug utilization patterns among geriatric patients of both sexes having HTN, type 2 DM, and Co-occurrence of both conditions.