Antibiotic prescribing pattern among inpatients with upper respiratory tract infections at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are the most common medical problem in the daily lives and lead to around 30% of appointments with primary care settings. Bacteria contribute an essential part in the aetiology of URTIs, and the antibiotic is the usual treatment. This study designed to assess the antibiotic prescribing pattern and adherence of prescribing with Malaysian national antibiotic guideline among URTI patients at a tertiary care hospital. A retrospective, the cross-sectional study design using a medical record of 113 URTI patients from June 2015 to December 2016, was conducted. Ethical approval was obtained from the Medical Research and Ethics Committee. Data were analysed employing SPSS version 23.0. The major diagnosis was acute tonsillitis/pharyngitis (78.8%), and Penicillin G was prescribed in 46% of the all the URTI patients. Among the all the prescribed medications, 47.79% were in adherence to National Antibiotic Guidelines (NAG), 2014 Malaysia and remaining were non-adherent (52.21%). Study established the initiation of antibiotics prior to the confirmatory evidence-based testing, which is preferably recommended in uncomplicated URTI patients, overprescribing and irrational prescribing of antibiotics in tertiary care setting. There is urgent need to promote judicious use of antibiotics at the point-of-care through multi-prong approach to avoid development of antimicrobial resistance which is a major concern among many Asian countries.