The Prescribing Trends of Metronidazole in The Outpatient Setting

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to characterize the trends of metronidazole prescribing in outpatient setting in Alkharj. Methodology: This is a retrospective study includes evaluating outpatient antibiotic prescriptions from 01-01-2018 till 31-12-2018 in a public hospital Alkharj. The data were collected and analyzed using excel software and the descriptive data were represented by frequencies and percentages.                              Results: The majority of the metronidazole prescriptions were regular and only few prescriptions were urgent. The physicians who prescribed metronidazole were mainly residents who don’t have sufficient experience that may results in more inappropriate antibiotic prescribing patterns. Conclusion: The excessive use of metronidazole in addition to its prescribing by resident may results in inappropriate prescribing pattern that may lead to increase the adverse effect which may lead to increase the rate of bacterial resistance. More efforts are needed, especially by applying antimicrobial stewardship program, to ensure that metronidazole is prescribed correctly.