Topical Hydrocortisone Use in the Outpatient Department

Aim: This study aimed to describe the use of topical hydrocortisone in the outpatient department in Alkharj. Methodology: This was a retrospective study that included reviewing the electronic prescriptions of topical hydrocortisone among outpatients in Alkharj. The inclusion criteria included all of the outpatient prescriptions that contained topical hydrocortisone in the study period. Results: During the study period between January 2018 to June 2018, 196 patients received topical hydrocortisone. More than 52% of the patients were males and the age of 31.63% of them was less than 10 years. Most of the patients received topical hydrocortisone as a cream (87.76%). Most of the prescriptions that contained topical hydrocortisone were written by residents (98.98%) and most of the prescriptions that contained topical hydrocortisone were written by emergency department (70.41%). Conclusion: The present study showed that topical hydrocortisone was prescribed commonly in the outpatient setting. More studies are needed to explore the frequency of topical hydrocortisone prescribing in other settings and to explore the frequency of using other topical medications in different settings.