Budesonide Use in the Outpatient Department in a Public Hospital in Al-Kharj

Aim: This study aimed to describe the prescribing pattern of budesonide nebulizer and budesonide nasal spray in a public hospital in Alkharj. Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted in a public hospital in Alkharj city. The outpatient prescriptions were reviewed to describe the use of budesonide in the period between 01-01- 2018 and 31-06-2018.  The study included budesonide forms that are delivered directly to the respiratory system, so budesonide nebulizer and budesonide nasal spray were included in the study and other dosage forms were excluded. Results: About 53.12% of the prescribed budesonide was in the form of nebulizer and 46.88% was in the form of nasal spray. Most of them were males (62.50%) and about 43.75% of them were less than 10 years. More than 53% of the prescriptions were written by residents and 40.62% were written by consultants. The most commonly prescribed department was pediatrics department (43.75%) followed by Ear-Nose-Throat (E.N.T) department (18.75%) and emergency (18.75%). Conclusion: The present study showed that the use of budesonide was uncommon in the outpatient setting. More studies are needed to explore the frequency of prescribing other dosage forms of budesonide and to explore the frequency of prescribing other alternative agents.