Evaluation of Rational use of Antibiotics in Medicine Ward of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Antibiotics are among the most frequently used drugs worldwide. An average 35% of the total health budget is spent on antibiotics. Overuse and/or misuse of antibiotics has significant consequences, such as increased cost, bacterial resistance, therapeutic failure, drug toxicity and drug interactions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescribing pattern of antibiotics in Medicine ward of a tertiary care hospital in Bangalore. Methods: Hospital based retrospective study carried out in medicine ward of a tertiary care hospital in Bangalore. A retrospective study was carried out by collecting the data of the medication orders given for a period of 12 months. A total of 741 medication order was studied of which 470 were for males and 271 for females, between the age group of 15-92 years. Results: The results showed that the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics were: Cephalosporins 571 (47.22%), Quinolone 237 (19.6%), Cephalosporins + Penicillinase inhibitors 159 (13.15%), Penicillin + Penicillinase inhibitor 73 (6.03), Aminoglycoside 27 (2.23%), Macrolides 13 (1.07%), Sulphonamides 1 (0.08%), Tetracyclines 2 (0.16%) and others 126 (10.4%). Conclusion: The most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics was Cephalosporins. Detailed knowledge of antibiotic prescription pattern is important to monitor the rational use of antibiotics and is important before the therapeutic policies and measures can be implemented. It’s recommended to involve an active clinical pharmacist in the hospital to study the drug use pattern and intervention as and when necessary.