Assessment of the drug therapy for sexually transmitted diseases in the White Nile State – Sudan.

Abstract

Back ground:Irrational drug prescribing is a global problem. It results in development of resistance to antimicrobials, ineffective treatment, adverse effects and economic burden on patient and society. Objectives: This study was carried out to assess the use of drugs for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and to determine their prevalence in the White Nile State-Sudan 2002-2003. Material and Methods: Twenty urban health centers were selected randomly, 30 prescriptions were collected from each health center and assessed against recommended standard therapy. Results: The appropriate drug therapy according to diagnosis was selected in only 10.6% of the collected prescriptions, only 42.2% of them were with appropriate doses and duration of therapy, poly pharmacy was detected in 28.8%, generic prescribing in 35.5% and possible drug- drug interactions in 17.3% of the total collected sample. The prevalence of STDs among total patients was 1.9%. 78.8% of the cases were females, 59.3% were 15-29 years old and Kenana Health Centers showed the highest prevalence of STDs 3.4%. (P<0.05) Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that prescribing practices for the treatment of STDs were illogical; the reference chart prepared by federal ministry of health Sudan National HIV/AIDS/STD program must be reevaluated, because it is inappropriate and illogical. Continuous training courses are urgently needed locally and nationally to raise the updating levels of medical