The Global Centre for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Feb 3;22(1):143. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-07507-3.
The majority of pilgrims seeking healthcare during Hajj are seen at primary healthcare centers (PHCCs). Data on the utilization of these facilities during Hajj can aid in directing optimal health services delivery and allocation of resources during the pilgrimage.
We investigated the pattern of disease presentation, caseload, and medication prescribing and dispensing at 51 PHCCs during the 2019 Hajj. Data on patients' demographics, diagnoses, and prescribed medications were retrieved from each PHCC's electronic records and analyzed. Data were also used to calculate six of the World Health Organization (WHO) indicators for drug use at these facilities.
Data were captured for 99,367 patients who were mostly Hajj pilgrims (95.4%), male (69.1%) from the Eastern Mediterranean (60.8%) and had a mean age of 46.6 years (SD = 14.9). Most patients (85.2%) were seen in Mina and towards the end of Hajj. The majority of patients (96.0%) had a single diagnosis; most commonly, respiratory (45.0%), musculoskeletal (17.2%), and skin (10.5%) diseases. Patients were prescribed 223,964 medications, mostly analgesics (25.1%), antibacterials for systemic use (16.5%), anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products (16.4%), and cough and cold preparations (11.9%). On average, 2.25 (SD = 0.94) medications were prescribed per consultation, with low (1.3%) prevalence of polypharmacy. An antibiotic and an injectable were prescribed in 43.6 and 2.67% of patient encounters, respectively. Most (92.7%) of the prescribed drugs were actually dispensed, in an average time of 8.06 min (SD = 41.4). All PHCCs had a copy of the essential drugs list available, on which all the prescribed drugs appeared.
Respiratory illnesses are the main reason for PHCCs visits during Hajj, and analgesics and antibiotics are the most common medications prescribed to pilgrims. Our results, including the calculated WHO drug use indicators, contribute to evidence-based optimization of primary healthcare services during Hajj.
在朝觐期间，寻求医疗保健的大多数朝觐者都在初级保健中心 (PHCC) 就诊。有关这些设施在朝觐期间使用情况的数据可以帮助指导在朝圣期间提供最佳的卫生服务和资源分配。
我们调查了 2019 年朝觐期间 51 个 PHCC 的疾病表现、病例数和药物开具和配药模式。从每个 PHCC 的电子记录中检索患者人口统计学、诊断和开具药物的数据，并进行分析。数据还用于计算这些设施中世界卫生组织 (WHO) 六种药物使用指标。
共收集了 99367 名患者的数据，这些患者主要是朝觐者（95.4%），男性（69.1%）来自东地中海地区（60.8%），平均年龄为 46.6 岁（SD=14.9）。大多数患者（85.2%）在米纳就诊，并且是在朝觐接近尾声时。大多数患者（96.0%）只有一个诊断；最常见的是呼吸系统疾病（45.0%）、肌肉骨骼疾病（17.2%）和皮肤疾病（10.5%）。患者共开具了 223964 种药物，其中大多数是镇痛药（25.1%）、全身用抗菌药（16.5%）、抗炎和抗风湿药（16.4%）和咳嗽和感冒药（11.9%）。平均每次就诊开具 2.25 种药物（SD=0.94），药物联合使用的比例较低（1.3%）。抗生素和注射剂分别在 43.6%和 2.67%的患者就诊中开具。大多数（92.7%）开具的药物实际上都进行了配发，平均配发时间为 8.06 分钟（SD=41.4）。所有 PHCC 都备有基本药物清单副本，清单上列出了所有开具的药物。
呼吸系统疾病是 PHCC 在朝觐期间就诊的主要原因，镇痛药和抗生素是开给朝圣者的最常见药物。我们的结果，包括计算得出的 WHO 药物使用指标，有助于为朝觐期间初级保健服务的循证优化提供依据。
