Evaluation of prescription practices of antibiotics in respiratory tract infections at Al-Ahrar Teaching Hospital in 2019

Abstract

Background Antibiotics are prescribed at more than 100 million adult ambulatory care visits annually, and 41% of these prescriptions are for respiratory conditions. Unsuitable antibiotic use for respiratory tract infection (RTI) is an important factor in antibiotic resistance, and this is a vital public health threat. Objective To evaluate the practices of antibiotics prescribed in RTIs at Al-Ahrar Teaching Hospital in the period between March 2019 and October 2019. Patients and methods A total of 125 patients with RTI admitted at Al-Ahrar Teaching Hospital and 25 physicians working at the same hospital were included in the study. Patients were subjected to medical history and clinical and laboratory assessment. Plain chest radiograph and computed tomography of chest, if needed, were done. Results The most frequent antibiotic prescribed empirically was broad-spectrum penicillin (76%). Overall, 56% of physicians prescribed empirical antibiotic for 4–6 days. Overall, 60% of them depended on international guidelines in prescription, and the same percentage reported that prescription was based on combination of clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings. Conclusion Overall, 92% of the studied physicians reported empirical prescription of antibiotics. The most frequent antibiotic prescribed empirically was broad-spectrum penicillin. Moreover, 60% of the studied physicians depended on international guidelines in prescription of antibiotics.