The hazard to public health from lead continues to be a matter of concern. It is one of the most serious environmental poisons among the toxic heavy metals all over the world. Lead poisoning is seen in all age groups, especially in adults working in lead-based industries. We report the case of a 28-year-old man working in an unorganized lead-based manufacturing unit admitted with the complaints of giddiness, excessive tiredness, pain in the upper abdomen, decreased appetite, excessive body pains, increased sweating, and oliguria. Investigations carried out during the admission showed hemoglobin levels of 8.5 g/dl and blood lead level (BLL) of 115 μg/dl. The patient was subjected to chelation therapy. After repeated course of chelation therapy, he has shown the signs of improvement. The paucity of a safe workplace and awareness among workers results in high BLLs. Therefore, education and awareness related to lead hazards is considered necessary.
Objective: The objective of conducting prescribing pattern study is to monitor, evaluate, and if necessary, recommend modifications in the prescribing behavior of medical practitioners. Hence, this study was conducted to analyze the drug utilization and prescribing pattern of drugs in orthopedic outpatient department (OPD). Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the orthopedic OPD of tertiary care hospital for a period of 3 months. Data were obtained from the prescriptions through one-to-one interviews and recorded in a separately designed case report form. Results: Out of the 260 patients enrolled in the study, 181 were female and 79 were male. The patients between the ages of 50 and 60 years constituted the higher number with a mean age of 52.2 years. The total number of drugs prescribed in the analyzed prescriptions was 1012 which includes orthopedic drugs as well as drugs prescribed to treat various comorbidities. The World Health organization drug prescribing indicators were used to assess the appropriate use of drugs. Conclusion: Our study concludes that drug utilization and prescribing quality should be improved by promoting medical education on current updates. The periodic audit should be conducted by a clinical pharmacist to reduce an error in the prescription as well as to check the compliance of prescription with standard treatment guidelines for rationalizing the therapy.
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