Date of Award
Winter 1-4-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
MPharm Pharmacy Practice
Department
Department of Pharmacy Practice
First Advisor
Dr. H Manjunatha Hande
Second Advisor
Dr. Surulivelrajan M
Abstract
Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease associated with poor quality of life of patients, lifelong dependency on medications and long-term disease suffering which leads to both physical and financial disability in terms of cost. RA flare and complications lead to hospitalization and demand in-patient care and these costs impose a significant burden on the patients especially those from a poor socioeconomic background in a developing society like India where the country reserves only 1.4% of the income for healthcare. Objective: The objective of this study is to find the cost of illness associated with hospitalized patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis and understand the prescription pattern of drugs for the same. Methodology: A retrospective research study was conducted on in-patients diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Medicine department, in a tertiary care hospital setting. The patient files were obtained from the In-patient Medical Records Department after obtaining proper ethical approval from the hospital Institutional Ethics Committee. The finance data was collected from the Finance Department in the hospital. Data was collected in case record forms designed for the study and entered SPSS for analysis. Results: The most commonly prescribed Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) was Methotrexate prescribed for 202 patients (62%) followed closely by Hydroxychloroquine prescribed to 194 patients (59.6%). They were also the most commonly prescribed drugs as a combination therapy at 45.9%. The total median cost for single admission was found to be INR 12, 247. Conclusion: INR 12, 247 is a very high amount in a developing country such as India. First year of symptoms is where most of the patients come to hospital to get RA diagnosis and is also the peak time to start effective treatment regimen, disease education and awareness to ensure that disease progression can be prevented by reinforcing the importance of medication adherence among patients. This is a white space role that can be taken up by health care professionals.
Recommended Citation
V, Rajesh Dr, "Retrospective study to evaluate prescription pattern and cost of illness in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in a tertiary care hospital setting" (2019). Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Theses and Dissertations. 14.
https://impressions.manipal.edu/mcops/14
