Prescribing patterns of antihypertensive drugs by clinicians at the National Referral Hospital outpatient department, Thimphu, Bhutan

Abstract

Introduction: Around 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years have hypertension, globally. Of these, two-thirds are in low and middle-income countries, with only 21% having it under control. In Bhutan, there are 362.4 people per 10,000 population with hypertension. Antihypertensive medications must be appropriately prescribed to prevent the complications of hypertension.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of the prescriptions of antihypertensive medications at Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital was undertaken to characterize the current prescribing patterns.

Results: Nine monotherapy, 18 dual therapy, 19 triple therapy and 2 multiple combination therapy with antihypertensive drugs were noted during the study period spanning April to December 2023. Nearly half (59.1%) of the hypertensive patients were treated with monotherapy, 36.3% with dual therapy, 4.3% with triple therapy and 0.3% with multiple combination therapy. The proportion of patients who had their blood pressure under control was 42.45%, with females slightly outnumbering males (26.66% versus 15.79%). However, there was no statistically significant difference in blood pressure control between females and males and also between patients who received monotherapy or combination therapy.

Conclusion: The study found the prescription of a wide range of drugs, both alone and in combination, to treat hypertension. The proportion of patients with controlled blood pressure was 42.45%.