Antibiotic prescribing patterns in paediatrics at a tertiary care hospital in Mansa, Zambia

Miyanda Petty M; Lwando Catherine

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground: Antibiotics are one of the most widely used groups of drugs. Irrational and uncontrolled use of these agents both in developing and developed countries has resulted in an evolution of resistant strains in addition to poor health outcome. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prescribing pattern of antibiotics for paediatrics using WHO prescribing indicators.Methods: A cross sectional Retrospective study was conducted at Mansa general hospital, Zambia, The WHO prescribing indicators were used as tools for prescription evaluation as determining factors for rational prescribing patterns.Results: The study patients were mainly from the age group 1-12 months at 289 (60.2%) with the majority being male. 615 antibiotics were prescribed for 479 patients the average number of antibiotics per patient was 1.28. More than half 346 (56%) of all prescribed antibiotics were injectable antimicrobials higher than the WHO standard of 13.4–24.1%. 297(62%) had empirical diagnosis for their illness without any microbiological evidence. The most used antibiotics were penicillins and aminoglycosides. Only 46% of prescribed antibiotics were generic names. Upper Respiratory Tract Infection was the most common disease which accounted for 123 (25.7%) and only 48% bacteriological tests were ordered.Conclusions: The study findings raise a lot of concerns due high levels of injectable antibiotic use and high levels of empirical treatment with antibiotics with the use of non-generic names Strict prescribing policy and standard treatment guideline-appropriate prescribing habits should also be developed and enforced. Key words: Antibiotics, paediatrics, prescribing pattern, WHO prescribing indicators.