Abstract

EVALUATION OF ANTIBIOTICS USE AT EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Pooja B. R.*, Dr. T. Vithya, Dr. Shankar Prasad and Jothi R.

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Abstract

Emergency departments (EDs) provides an interface between ambulatory care and hospital care settings, where doctors work under intense time pressure. It results in an inappropriate choice of antibiotics which causes adverse events, unsuccessful treatments and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Aim: To evaluate the pattern of antibiotics prescribing in the emergency department. Methodology: A hospital based prospective observational study was carried out over a period of nine months at the emergency department of St. Philomena's Hospital, Bangalore. Results: A total of 329 patients who received antibiotics were included in the study. Females were predominant and Fever with myalgia was the most common complaints of patients visiting the ED. Azithromycin was the most common antibiotics prescribed for fever with myalgia. Majority of the antibiotic’s prescriptions (322) followed the standard prescribing guidelines of the hospital. Among 329 patients with antibiotics, 2 patients developed hypersensitivity reactions from Injection. Metronidazole and Injection ciprofloxacin. Conclusion: Azithromycin was the commonly prescribed antibiotic for fever with myalgia. Hereby I conclude the study by stating that the prescribing pattern of antibiotics at ED in our hospital was found to be rational. Presence of a clinical pharmacist at ED will still help in collecting the patient’s medical and medication history which would help the physicians in appropriate choice of drugs.

Keywords: Antibiotics, Emergency department(ED), Azithromycin.