Investigation the Status of Prescribing Growth Hormone for Patients under the Coverage of the Iranian Health Organization in Ilam Province during 2007-2017

Human growth begins since the formation of the embryo and ends with death. Growth hormone is secreted from the pituitary gland and involved in the growth process. 11 to 28 percent of short stature in Iran and about 10 percent in the world is related to growth hormone deficiency. In this article, the status of prescribing growth hormone for those under the coverage of Iranian Health Insurance was investigated in Ilam province during 2007-2017.

This was a cross-sectional descriptive and retrospective study and conducted according to the available documents in the General Directorate of Iranian Health Insurance. The statistical population of the study included all medical prescriptions of growth hormone to those under the coverage of the Iranian Health Insurance during 2007-2017 sent by pharmacies to the general directorate of Ilam Health Insurance. Using the records in the database and the health insurance processor, and by census method, the data entered Excel 2007 and analyzed using SPSS version 21.

The number of prescribed hormone in 2007 was 1858 which increased to 4485 in 2017, showing a 2.82 folds increase. Also, the number of prescriptions in 2007 was 66 totally, which increased by 78.7 times to 513 prescriptions. The average cost of each version containing the growth hormone in Ilam province was 3,699.606 Rials in 2007 that increased to 14.972.125 Rials in 2017.

Growth hormone is one of the expensive drugs in the health insurance organization. The drug in the studied years of 2007-2017 has always been at the top ranks with a significant role in medical expenses of Ilam health insurance, and has been one of the top 20 costing items in the province. Also, over time, its cost ranking increased and reached to the first in 2016-2017. More control and supervision on how to prescribe would be effective in optimizing the pharmaceutical costs of the general directorate of health insurance of Ilam province.