Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the amount of non-opioid analgesics consumed at the surgical departments of a secondary care hospital in Serbia, a developing country undergoing a socioeconomic transition that thus lacks sufficient funds to finance and invest in the healthcare system.
At the departments of gynaecology, urology, otolaryngology, general surgery and orthopaedics with traumatology at the General Hospital, Kraljevo from 2010 to 2012, six different non-opioid analgesics were used: diclofenac, ketorolac, ibuprofen, metamizole sodium, paracetamol (for per os and parenteral use), and meloxicam (for parenteral use only). Drugs in the M01 Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification group were consumed statistically significantly more than drugs in the N02 group (U=0.000; p<0.001). With regard to the average consumption amounts of all monitored drugs, diclofenac was consumed the most, followed by ketorolac. Meloxicam was the least used drug. There were significant differences in the average annual consumption of ibuprofen between surgical departments, but this was not the case for the other non-opioid analgesics. The differences in the average consumption between the individual drugs were significant for each year of observation.
Due to the incongruity of the results of previous studies related to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug consumption at different surgery wards, additional research in different geographical areas of our country is necessary to enhance the quality of prescription patterns on a national level and adjust them based on the latest scientific data and European trends.