Abstract:
Background: Sustaining the availability and rational use of safe and effective drugs is a major
problem in developing countries. Irrational drug use affects quality of health care more than
accessibility of drugs.
Objective: To assess drug utilization in selected health facilities of South West Shoa Zone,
Oromia Region, Ethiopia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected health facilities of South West
Shoa Zone from January 21–28, 2012 by using structured questionnaires.
Results: Of 50 prescribers and 30 dispensers, 58% and 83.3% were males, respectively. The
result showed that majority of prescribers agreed on availability of essential drugs (72%) and
had access to up-to-date drug information (76%). However, 43.3% of dispensers didn’t get
access to up-to-date drug information. 86% and 88% of prescribers note cost of drugs and
stick to standard treatment guidelines of Ethiopia during prescription, respectively. All drug
dispensers check the name of the drug (100%), age of the patient (90%), the dosage form of
drug (96.7%), the route of administration (90%), the duration of therapy (86.7%), and frequency
of administration (86.7%) for prescription papers.
Conclusion: In general, drug utilization at the study sites was found to be good, although there
are major deviations from the concept of rational drug use.
