A study on drug usage pattern of antibiotics in patients with skin disorders

Abstract

Antibiotics are the crucial drugs of choice, and they are the greatest contributors to the treatment of bacterial skin diseases. The objective of the present study is to assess the drug usage patterns of antibiotics in the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, & Leprosy (DVL). A Cross-Sectional Study was conducted with ethical approval for a period of 6 calendar months. Patients were recruited according to the eligibility criteria. Relevant details were collected according to the objectives and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. During the study period, 200 patients were recruited, of which 64% were male. Most patients were in the age group of 21-40 (36%). The most commonly reported disease during our study was secondary pyoderma occurring over eczema (29.5%), followed by Psoriasis (9.5%). Penicillin (32%) and Cephalosporin (32%) were the most prescribed categories. Mainly, a duration of less than or equal to 1 week was recommended. A total of 680 drugs were prescribed, and the average number of drugs per encounter with an antibiotic was 4.50%. The percentage of encounters with injections was 12%, and the percentage of medicine from the Essential Medicine List (EML) was 43%. Most drugs were prescribed from the access groups according to the World Health Organization (WHO) AWARE (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification. According to the AWARE classification, drugs with lower resistance potential were commonly practiced here. This reflects good prescribing practice. The findings provide insight that, during our study period, the burden of bacterial skin diseases is lower in this locality when compared with other skin diseases.