Trend analysis of rational medicine use and WHO indicators compliance at a tertiary referral hospital in Ghana

ENGLISH Background: Rational medicine use is critical to ensuring patient safety, cost-effectiveness, and optimal health outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) evaluates prescribing practices using key indicators, including antibiotic and injectable use, adherence to the Essential Medicines List (EML), polypharmacy, and documentation of patient vitals and diagnoses. Objectives: This study evaluated prescribing patterns at Sunyani Teaching Hospital (STH) against WHO standards, focusing on antibiotic and injectable use, adherence to the Essential Medicines List, polypharmacy, and documentation. Methods: A retrospective trend analysis of outpatient prescription records (2022-2024) was conducted at STH a tertiary referral facility in the Bono region of Ghana. A total of 360 cases (30 per quarter) were randomly sampled from the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS). Data were analysed using Stata version 16. Results: Proportions of prescriptions with antibiotic use (23.3%-73.3%, mean: 45%) exceeded WHO's