Background/Aim. Drug utilisation monitoring could
identify drug-related problems and hence improve the
awareness of irrational drug use. The objective of this study
was to analyse the drug utilisation patterns in a rehabilitation
hospital over the period 2011–2016. Methods. The
Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical classification/Defined
Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology was used to
monitor the drug utilisation expressed as a number of DDD
per 100 patient-days (HPD). The values of DDDs were
obtained from the World Health Organisation (WHO)
Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology.
Utilisation trends were analysed by means of the Compound
Aggregate Growth Rate (CAGR), which is defined as an
average annual change rate of some value during the period
of interest. Results. The number of patient-days increased
during the six years period; the CAGR being1.8% annually.
At the same time, the total number of dispensed DDDs as
well as the number of DDD/HPD decreased with the
CAGR of -2.0% and -3.7% respectively. The average drug
cost per patient-day varied from BAM 1.38 in 2013 to 0.95
in 2016; the CAGR being -1.8%. The most utilised drugs
belonged to the ATC groups C, A, B, M and N and they
contributed to an average of 77% of all drugs used each
year. On the top of the list of most utilised drugs were:
hydroxocobalamin, thioctic acid, enalapril, diclofenac,
amlodipine, acetylsalicylic acid, pantoprazole, paracetamol
and bromazepam. Conclusions. The overall drug utilisation
in the hospital was modest and almost equal in 2016
compared to 2011. Besides the leading consumption of
vitamin B12 and thioctic acid, this study points out some
interesting prescribing patterns, such as predominant use of
diclofenac over ibuprofen, and overuse of proton pump
inhibitors. There is a need for educative interventions among
physicians in order to improve their prescribing practice.