WHO/INRUD Core drug use indicators and commonly prescribed medicines: a National Survey from Sri Lanka

Table 3 WHO/INRUD core drug use indicators overall and in the different categories of pharmacies

Prescribing Indicator (WHO recommended standard)	Mean ± SD (Median; Range) / Number (%)
Prescribing Indicator (WHO recommended standard)	Overall	Privately owned	State owned (‘Rajya Osusala’ – SPC)	SPC Franchisee
Prescribing Indicators
1. Average medicines per encounter (1.6–1.8)	3.1 ± 1.9 (3; 1–12)	2.9 ± 1.7 (3; 1–11)^a	3.6 ± 2.2 (3; 1–11)^a	3.1 ± 1.9 (3; 1–12)^a
2. Encounters with an antibiotic (%) (20–26.8%)	553 (23.8)	287 (27.1)^b	84 (15.0)^ab	182 (25.6)^a
3. Encounters with an injection (%) (13.4–24.1%)	29 (1.2)	19 (1.8)^a	6 (1.1)	4 (0.6)^a
4. Medicines prescribed in generic name (%) (100%)	2579 (35.5)	980 (32.4)^b	819 (40.6)^ba	780 (35.2)^a
5. Medicines prescribed from EML (%) (100%)	4991 (68.8)	2099 (69.5)	1368 (67.8)	1524 (68.7)
Patient-care Indicators
1. Medicines actually dispensed (100%)	6701 (92.4)	2824 (93.5)^a	1811 (89.8)^ab	2066 (93.2)^b
2. Medicines accurately labelled (100%)	6600 (98.5)	2758 (97.7)	1800 (99.4)	2042 (98.8)

^ab − values in a row with same symbols are significantly different from one another, EML Essential medicines list, SD Standard deviation, SPC State Pharmaceutical Corporation

ISSN: 2050-6511