Prevalence of Medication Prescription Patterns for Iraqi Outpatients Visiting Otolaryngology Clinics

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of drug use patterns among ENT outpatient settings in Kirkuk, Iraq. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted in Kirkuk, Iraq, involving the collection of data from the e-Prescribing system and the review of written prescriptions, including 582 outpatient records from ENT clinics, from January 2024 to December 2024. Results: Most patients were below 20yr age (18.73%), with a male predominance (57%). Ear-related complaints like otitis media were the most frequent (35.22%). The average number of drugs per prescription was 2.82. The percentage of prescriptions in which an antibiotic was prescribed was 84.7%. The percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name was 100%. The percentage of prescriptions in which an injection was prescribed was 8%, and the percentage of drugs prescribed by the Essential Drug List was 71.6%. Conclusions: The average number of drugs per prescription, and the percentage of prescriptions in which an antibiotic was prescribed, are higher than the standard recommended by the WHO. The percentage of drugs prescribed from the Essential Drug List was lower than the WHO reference value. These findings highlight the need for continuing medical education to train the prescribers to adhere to the WHO standards for prescribing.