Abstract

THE STUDY ON PRESCRIPTION PATTERN OF ANTIBIOTICS IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Roshni Acha Biju*, Jeny Mary Thomas, Linu M Thomas, Sharon Liza Koshy, Dr. Sofy Binu*

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial agents are most widely, and often injudiciously, used therapeutic drugs worldwide. In current hospital settings, bacterial resistance is a growing problem and a subject of concern due to irrational consumption of antibiotics by the individual in the community. Aim: A prospective cross-sectional study to determine prescription pattern of antibiotics in various departments of a tertiary care hospital in South India. Method: A total of 1400 antibiotic samples from 709 hospitalized patients were taken from various general and specialized departments for a period of 6 months. The prescriptions were assessed and details like patient name, sex, age, height, weight, laboratory investigations and antibiotics used for the infections were entered in to the self-designed patient data collection form. Comparison of antibiotic prescribing practices among all the departments was made by using Percentage method. Results: Majority of consumer of antibiotics were in the age group of 55-75years with the proportion of male patients (58%) higher than the female patients (42%). Ceftriaxone is the most commonly prescribed antibiotic followed by Piperacillin- Tazobactum and Amoxicillin- Clavulanate. Respiratory infections (44%) are the most common source of infection. Most of the antibiotic therapy were given prophylactically. Conclusion: By understanding the prescribing pattern of antibiotics and their accurate dose and frequency based on patient demographics and diagnosis, we will be able to make the rational use of antibiotic agents, as one of the main contributions to control the drug resistance all over the worldwide. Continuous educational programmes can contribute to improve internal medicine specialist’s knowledge on ICMR antibiotic guidelines. Further studies are needed to educate, explore the knowledge and skills to correct the internal medicine specialist’s attitudes towards prescription.

Keywords: Antimicrobial agent, Prescribing pattern, Antimicrobial resistance, rational prescriptions.