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Table 5 Prescribing indicators in comparison with other countries and WHO/INRUD standard

From: Urban-rural inequality regarding drug prescriptions in primary care facilities – a pre-post comparison of the National Essential Medicines Scheme of China

Region

Average number of drugs per prescription

Percentage of prescriptions requiring antibiotics (%)

Percentage of prescriptions requiring injections (%)

Western Pacific

2.8

50.80

27.10

South East Asia

2.4

47.90

9.70

Lower-middle income countries

2.8

50.00

21.70

A province China (urban)

3.5

62.51

44.04

A province China (rural)

4.1

66.05

52.35

WHO/INRUD recommendation

1.6 – 1.8

<30

<10

  1. Source of data: Holloway K, Ivanovska V, Wagner A, Vialle‐Valentin C, Ross‐Degnan D. Have we improved use of medicines in developing and transitional countries and do we know how to? Two decades of evidence. Tropical Medicine & International Health. 2013;18(6):656-64