PROFILE OF ANTIBIOTIC USE AT THE HEALTH CENTRE

Abstract

Context: Excessive use of antibiotics is a
prevalent issue in healthcare, resulting in
needless drug expenditure, increased
susceptibility to side effects, and the
emergence of antibiotic resistance. Unsafe
and ineffective therapy, illness progression,
and increased health care expenses are all
consequences of inappropriate prescribing
practices. This study's objective was to
evaluate the University of Gondar referral
hospital's outpatient pharmacy department's
antibiotic prescribing practices using World
Health Organization prescribing indicators
in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A
cross-sectional study that was retrospective
was carried out. Prescription and
prescription registration books kept at the
pharmacy store were used to gather
prescription data for a year. Prescription
indicators from the World Health
Organization and the International Network
of Rational Use of Drugs were used to
gauge rational drug use, with a particular
emphasis on antibiotic prescribing trends.
Version 20 of SPSS was used to examine
the data that was gathered. Findings and
Discussion: Out of 600 patient interactions,
968 medications were administered. There
were 1.6 drugs on average each contact.
The proportion of consultations where
injections and antibiotics were
administered was 6.3% and 69.7%,
respectively. The most often given
antibiotics were amoxicillin (28.5%),
ciprofloxacin (12%), and metronidazole
(11.1%). 95.3% of prescribed medications
came from the list of necessary
pharmaceuticals, and 96% came from
generic names. The World Health
Organization's recommended standard for
the rate of antibiotic prescriptions was not
followed, but there were minor variations
from the standard in the areas of
polypharmacy, injectable prescribing
patterns, brand name usage, and
prescriptions for medications from the
National Essential Drugs List. In order to
prevent the inappropriate use of antibiotics
and prevent additional consequences,
interventions targeted at changing the
prescribing patterns for antibiotics must be
put into place.