An Assessment of Antibiotic Drugs Utilization Pattern in Paediatric Population

Background: The study is to improve the quality of prescribing and may help in overcoming the problems associated with irrational use of antibiotics. Aim: To evaluate antibiotic drugs utilisation in paediatric population. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in paediatric department in a tertiary care teaching hospital for a period of 6 months. All the patients who were prescribed with any of antibiotic drug therapy were included in the study and reviewed. Results: Prescribing pattern was observed in 600 subjects during the study period. Antibiotics were prescribed for various conditions like bronchopneumonia (23.16%), viral pyrexia (16.16%), lower respiratory tract infection (10.16%), seizures (8.16%), acute gastroenteritis (7%) and other conditions (35.33%). In the included paediatric population, children’s were more prone to infections followed by neonates. In our study most frequently used antibiotic drugs were ampicillin, amikacin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone and amoxiclav. Most often prescribed dosage forms of antibiotic drugs were injection (82%), syrup (10%), tablet (7%) and capsule (1%). To identify pathogenic organisms, specimens were collected from 56 (9.33%) of subjects. Commonly used specimens were serum 16 (28.57%), sputum 24 (42.85%), cerebrospinal fluid 7(12.5%) and other specimens 9 (16.07%). The number of drugs prescribed was found to be with a minimum of 2 and maximum of 5 antibiotic drugs. Conclusion: The treatment regimen given in most of the cases was without performing any culture sensitivity test which may lead to irrational use of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance leads to a decrease in treatment success, which results in increased morbidity and mortality.