EVALUATION OF ANTIBIOTICS USE AT EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL
Pooja B. R.*, Dr. T. Vithya, Dr. Shankar Prasad and Jothi R.
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.
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