(81) A Pharmacoepidemiologic Study of Antibiotics Prescription Patterns in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Sunday, August 28, 2022

8:00 AM – 1:45 PM CEST

Location: Hall C

Publication Number: 1126

Presenting Author(s)

Sherif Eltonsy, PhD
– Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Co-Author(s)

Payam Peymani, PharmD
– Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Paria Oskuie
– Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Heath, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran., Iran
Navid Omidifar
– Department of Pathology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran., Iran
Alekhya Lavu
– The University of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Background: Optimal and rational drug prescribing - particularly antibiotics - is necessary to improve patients’ health and avoid antibiotic resistance. Several reports observed inadequate prescribing practices in tertiary care hospitals from developing countries.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess antibiotics prescribing practices in a tertiary care hospital in Iran.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, using data from Zeinabiyeh Hospital, Shiraz, Iran with an average of 500 admissions per day. Prescription data were collected from inpatients' records of 23 wards and clinics from March 2019 to March 2020.

Results: We included 13,909 patients with an average hospitalization time of 3.12±5.491 days. Information on 371,056 prescribed medications was included and analyzed. There were 9871 (70.2%) orders with at least one antibiotic agent. . The average number of antibiotics in the hospital was 5.55 and in neonatal wards was 13.66 per patient. The most common prescribed antibiotics were ampicillin 1gr vial (18.6%), cefazolin 1gr vial (14.0%), followed by amikacin sulfate 100 mg vial (11.2%) and cephalexin 500 mg capsule (10.5%) (total of 54843 antibiotics prescriptions). Fifty% of all vials of ampicillin sodium were prescribed in the neonatal ward, whichhad the most antibiotics prescribed (24.3%). Also, in entire eight wards of neonates and NICU and phototherapy, the most common antibiotic was ampicillin (35.7%),even the most common prescribed drug among all of the drugs (7.2%).

Conclusions: This study showed that although the neonatal ward has 15.7% of total prescriptions, it has the highest portion of total antimicrobial agents prescribed in the hospital (24.3%). newborns are often prescribed extended antibiotics therapy for suspected neonatal infectious with short and long-term effects. Careful use of antibiotics in neonates is crucial to prevent adverse events and resitence among this vulnerable population.