Conformance to the National List of Essential Medicines 2022 in a government tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND

Access to essential medicines is vital for healthcare. The National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022 serves a guide for Indian healthcare facilities in procuring and providing essential medicines at different levels of healthcare. This study aimed at assessing the compliance of essential medicines availability at a tertiary care government hospital.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 24 weeks to assess the availability of essential medicines via reviewing of documents and content analysis. One-Sample Proportion Z-Test (two-tailed) was used to statistically test the result. Z-score was calculated and statistical significance of result was checked. The compliance for various categories as per NLEM 2022 was analyzed and an overall compliance was calculated.

RESULTS

The hospital procured 85.4% (328/384) of NLEM 2022 drugs. Based on the One-Sample Proportion Z-Test, calculated Z-score was 2.65 with 95% confidence interval which indicates the hospital's procurement rate of 85.4% is significantly higher than the expected WHO benchmark of 80%. A total of 18 NLEM sections had ≥80% compliance, with eight sections reached full compliance. However, gaps existed in sections like antidotes, diagnostic agents and dermatological medicines.

CONCLUSION

In comparison with earlier studies from India, the tertiary care hospital under study has shown better adherence to NLEM 2022 guidelines but there are still some gaps. By addressing the gaps, hospital can continuously improve healthcare delivery, ensure patient safety, and adapt to evolving health challenges, ultimately ensuring high-quality patient care.