Assessment and Comparison of Antimicrobials Prescription in Indoor Patients of Departments of General Medicine and Pediatric Medicine in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern India

Abstract

Introduction: Antimicrobials are among the most commonly prescribed drugs. Irrational prescribing leads to antimicrobial resistance and treatment failure. The purpose of drug use evaluation is to ensure that drugs are used appropriately, safely, and effectively. Use of antimicrobials in different wards is likely to be different due to difference in causative organism. This study aims to evaluate antimicrobials prescription pattern in indoor patients of departments of general medicine and general surgery of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Material and method: This is a cross sectional observational unicentric study. 100 prescriptions from departments of general medicine and general surgery were collected from the record section of College of Medicine and JNM Hospital, Kalyani, Nadia. Prescriptions were selected by simple random sampling. After selection of prescriptions of all 3 departments, following data were entered from each bed head tickets - number of antimicrobials prescribed, their name and class, indication of use, duration of use, route of administration and whether generic name was used. Patients' identity remained confidential. Results: Beta lactam antibiotic was the most commonly prescribed group in general surgery whereas in medicine ward, beta lactam with beta lactamase inhibitor (BLBLI) group was most commonly used. Among BLBLI group. Piperacillin-tazobactam was mostly prescribed. Overall, ceftriaxone was the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial agent. Conclusions: Use of antimicrobials varies in different wards due to different causative organisms. Intravenous route was used in much higher number of patients than oral route. Generic name use was not satisfactory.