Evidence Hub

Drug utilization pattern among type II diabetic patients in Palestine

Abualhasan M, Awad M, Sweileh W

BMC health services research, 2025

400 participants

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder marked by hyperglycemia. Studying the use of anti-diabetic medications is essential for promoting proper drug use and improving healthcare planning.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the drug utilization patterns and prescribing practices among Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Palestine. Specifically, it seeks to identify the most commonly prescribed medications, evaluate adherence to clinical guidelines, and assess factors influencing drug utilization at diabetes healthcare centers operated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Palestine.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 randomly selected patients with T2DM attending diabetic clinics in the northern and central regions of the West Bank, Palestine. Data on prescribing patterns and medication adherence were collected through patient interviews, and ethical guidelines were strictly followed throughout the study.

RESULTS: The study found that metformin was the most frequently prescribed initial therapy for patients with T2DM. Medication adherence was notably high, with 68% of patients consistently taking their medications as directed, although 24% reported occasionally forgetting to do so. Approximately 90% of patients followed the prescribed dosage exactly as instructed. There were no statistically significant differences in metformin prescribing patterns across the regions; prescriptions for glimepiride varied significantly (p = 0.01).…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 400 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free