Abstract
Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the prescription pattern of antimicrobial drugs in the department of ear, nose, throat (ENT) of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Guwahati.
 Methods: The present study was conducted in the department of ENT after getting approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (No MC/190/2007/Pt – 11 December -18/18). It was a prospective observational study for a period of 6 months. Prescriptions were collected from the outdoor and indoor patients of ENT.
 Results: In the present study, the majority of the patients were male (64.1%). Mostly, the patients belonged to the age group of 31–60 years (52%). Pharyngitis (20.8%) was the most commonly encountered disease which was reported followed by ear discharge (16.2%) and acute suppurative otitis media (15.8%). Total number of antimicrobial drugs prescribed for 240 patients was 303, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid being the most common (66%). About 89.4% of the drugs were included in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, 2019. Majority of the patients were prescribed only one drug.
 Conclusion: The drug prescribed commonly for ENT infections was amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination. Around 71.6% of drugs were prescribed by their brand names. Intervention is needed to promote the use of generic drugs as these drugs are with the same composition and provide the same therapeutic benefit at reasonable price.
Highlights
The otorhinolaryngological infections are quite common in the general population, especially in the children who are more vulnerable
In adults suffering from infections of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT), they can be very serious, if proper treatment is not given within appropriate time
The symptom manifestation can range from ear discharge, pain, fever, headache, hearing changes, running nose, nasal blockage, throat irritation, dysphagia, and so on
Summary
The otorhinolaryngological infections are quite common in the general population, especially in the children who are more vulnerable. In adults suffering from infections of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT), they can be very serious, if proper treatment is not given within appropriate time. The infections are caused by viruses followed by bacterial and fungal infestation as assessed by Indurkar et al [1]. The symptom manifestation can range from ear discharge, pain, fever, headache, hearing changes, running nose, nasal blockage, throat irritation, dysphagia, and so on. Weakening of the immune system of the body due to diabetes mellitus and other immune deficiency states may predispose the person to develop these infections. The infections of the ear, nose, and the throat resolve on their own, but at times, intervention is needed in the form of drugs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
