Objective:

To describe and evaluate vitamin prescribing practices in pediatric outpatients at a tertiary referral pediatric hospital in Vietnam.

Approach:

• Study Design: A cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary referral pediatric hospital in Vietnam.
• Participants: 400 pediatric outpatients prescribed vitamin supplements.
• Outcome Measures: Prescribing patterns analyzed by vitamin type, age group, BMI category, and ICD-10-coded diagnosis; dosage and age appropriateness assessed against international guidelines.

Key Findings:

• 41.3% of prescriptions were for multivitamin complexes and 27.0% for vitamin B1.
• Most prescriptions were for children aged 1–10 years and associated with respiratory disorders (60.3%).
• 74.2% of patients had normal BMI, receiving 63.3% of combined vitamin and dietary supplement prescriptions.
• 91.5% of prescriptions met recommended dosages and 98.8% were age-appropriate.
• Gastrointestinal disorders were linked to a higher likelihood of inappropriate dosing (adjusted OR 4.92, p=0.005).

Interpretation:

High adherence to recommended dosage and age criteria in pediatric vitamin prescribing was observed.

Limitations:

• The study does not explore the reasons behind inappropriate dosing.
• Findings may not be generalizable beyond the specific hospital setting.

Conclusion:

Further studies are needed to clarify contributing factors to optimize prescribing practices in pediatric vitamin supplementation.