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Purpose : The objective of this study was to evaluate drug utilization pattern in the pediatric departments of two tertiary health facilities in Nigeria using WHO core prescribing indicators. Methods : Using a cross-sectional retrospective study approach, prescriptions  randomly selected for a period of 6 months from the pediatric out-patient departments of two tertiary hospitals: Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Awka and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi in South- Eastern Nigeria were assessed. Prescribing indicators as listed by WHO were calculated and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results : A total of 750 prescriptions (450 from NAUTH and 300 from COOUTH) containing 2,739 drugs were assessed. The mean number of drugs prescribed per encounter (mean ± SD) at NAUTH was 3.5 ± 0.9 and 3.8 ± 1.1 in COOUTH. The percentage of antibiotics prescribed per encounter in COOUTH and NAUTH were 72.3 and 77.1 %, respectively, whereas drugs prescribed by generic names were 61.7 and 64.2 %, respectively. Injections prescribed per encounter were above acceptable range, and percentages of drugs prescribed from essential medicine lists in the two hospitals were > 85 %. Conclusion: This study identified irrational use of antibiotics, polypharmacy,  non-adherence to generic prescribing and high use of injections in both hospitals. The need for improvement in prescription patterns is underscored. Keywords : Prescription pattern, Pediatric outpatients, WHO indicators, Irrational use, Antibiotics, Polypharmacy

Prescribing practices for pediatric out-patients: A case study of two teaching hospitals in Nigeria