engleski

Drug utilization trends in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder in postconflict setting: consistency with clinical practice guidelines

The objective of this study was to evaluate drug utilization trends among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in postconflict setting and to compare the observed patterns of drug use with current guidelines. The study provides details of the annual number of patients with PTSD with at least one redeemed prescription containing a diagnostic code F43.1 according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD- 10) from fiscal years 2002 through 2012 in Croatia. Using longitudinal data analysis, overall change in medication use frequency was calculated for each medication and therapeutic class according to absolute frequency. Over the 11-year study period, the number of patients receiving pharmacotherapy for PTSD increased 7-fold. The annual frequency of drug use was highest for anxiolytics increasing from 73.32% in 2002 to 75.83% in 2012, antidepressants from 44.56% to 61.36%, hypnotics from 18.67% to 35.68% and antipsychotics from 21.81% to 30.21%. Overall change in drug utilization frequency was most prominent for hypnotics (17.01%), antidepressants (16.80%), and antipsychotics (8.40%) during the period 2002-2012. Drug utilization trends in our postconflict setting were predominantly inconsistent with current guidelines for treatment of PTSD due to excessive benzodiazepine use implying that psychopharmacotherapy was used mainly for tranquillizing properties for non-diagnosis- specific symptoms. Promising rising trends in utilization of antidepressants were not followed with compensatory reduction in benzodiazepine use. These data revealed areas of inconsistent use of drugs generating suggestions for interventions to improve drug use and also hypotheses for additional research.

Stress Disorder ; Post Traumatic ; Drug Utilization

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