In:
Hospital Pharmacy, SAGE Publications, Vol. 56, No. 6 ( 2021-12), p. 690-696
Abstract:
Prescribing a drug for a child is not an easy task and requires using the best available evidence as a guide, especially when a drug is used off-label. The practice of prescribing a drug for off-label use is fairly widespread worldwide. The FDA does not regulate prescribing patterns or practices of individual practitioners and, therefore, allows off-label use. The main objective of this study is to evaluate off-label prescribing among the pediatric population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Method: This is a retrospective, simple random selection observational study of children (≤15 years) who visited pediatric clinics and had at least 1 drug prescribed over a 12-month period (January to December 2018). Results: A total of 865 drugs (mean 1 and SD 0.24) were prescribed to 326 children. Off-label was identified in 39.4% of the drugs with a frequency of 512 (as 1 drug may belong to more than 1 off-label category). The most common reason for off-label prescribing was related to doses that were “higher or lower than the recommended use” (48.6%), and the most frequently identified drug class prescribed for off-label use was anti-infective drugs for systemic use (39.9%). The percentage of off-label drug use was found to be higher in girls and in the age group of 1 month to 2 years ( P = .001) for both variables. In addition, a significant association was found between off label drug use and the total number of drugs prescribed, P 〈 .001. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed a high incidence of off-label prescribing mainly related to dosing and indication. The results of this observational study support the need to establish a unified national pediatric dosing formulary guide to ensure safe drug use in pediatrics.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0018-5787
,
1945-1253
DOI:
10.1177/0018578720942226
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2069227-4
SSG:
15,3
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