ISSN: 2642-6250
Authors: Bhuvana D*, Srivarsha P, Lokesh M and Srinija V
Background: Antibiotics have revolutionized modern medicine, playing a pivotal role in treating infectious diseases and preventing life-threatening complications. However, antibiotic misuse and overuse have resulted in the emergence to antibiotic resistance, posing a hazard to global public health. As a result of the rising epidemic, it has become critical to investigate and correct antibiotic prescribing behaviors in primary and secondary care settings. This environment allows for an observational research that evaluates antibiotic prescribing trends using World Health Organization (WHO) indicators and emphasizes the critical need for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs). As assessment metrics, the WHO indicators such as the proportion of antibiotics prescribed by class, the percentage of antibiotics administered without a recognized diagnosis, and the percentage of antibiotics prescribed from the essential medications list were used. Aim: This observative study aimed to assess the prescription patterns of antibiotics in primary and secondary care settings using the World Health Organization (WHO) indicators and to highlight the pressing need for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) to combat this critical issue. Methods: The study was conducted on total no of 351 patients were included and studied in which 176 patients from primary care setting and 185 patients from primary, secondary and tertiary care setting with their respective prescribed antibiotics for a period of 6 months at apollo hospitals, apex hospitals on those who had age above 20. All prescription records containing antibiotics within a defined time period of will be included in the sample. Results: The inferential statistics results showed that the A p-value of 6.4E-25 is an extremely small p-value in the context of a statistical test, such as a chi-square test. This value represents a highly significant result, which representing there is significant variance in the prescription of antibiotics. The analysis of inpatient antibiotic usage revealed that a substantial proportion of patients (89.3%) received antibiotic treatment during their hospital stay. However, when assessing the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions, it was found that only 74.1% of antibiotic-containing prescriptions met the criteria for proper use, suggesting a potential area for improvement in antibiotic prescribing practices within the inpatient and outpatient setting. Conclusion: This observative study sheds light on the suboptimal prescription patterns of antibiotics in primary and secondary care, emphasizing the critical role of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in addressing this issue. These programs are essential for preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics, safeguarding public health, and mitigating the looming threat of antibiotic resistance.
Keywords: Antibiotics; Healthcare; Patient; Prescription
