Evaluation of Prescribing Indicators in Children Under the Age of Five Years at the Bambey Referral Health Center (Senegal)

In Senegal, data on the responsible use of medicines in the paediatric population are poorly documented at the level of primary health care services. The aim of this study was to assess prescribing indicators in children under five years of age in the Bambey health center in Senegal. This was a retrospective study. The study population consisted of prescriptions for children seen in outpatient consultations between January 1 and June 30, 2021. The sample size was 600 prescriptions selected according to a simple random sampling stratified by month. Data were collected between June and August 2021. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The mean age of the children was 24±19 months. Diseases of the respiratory system accounted for 41%. The number of drugs prescribed was estimated at 1,284; the average number per prescription was 2.14. The percentages of drugs prescribed under international non-proprietary names and according to the national essential medicines list were 32.32% and 66.82% respectively. In addition, 63.2% of prescriptions contained antibiotics, of which 70.2% belonged to the Access group of the AWaRe classification of antibiotics. Injectables were used in 1.5% of cases. This study showed that prescribing practices at the Bambey health center are generally irrational, with excessive use of antibiotics in particular. Among the consequences, the most serious is antibiotic resistance. Interventions to promote the proper use of drugs seem necessary. In addition, further studies, including an assessment of the availability of Access group antibiotics, should be considered in order to gain a better understanding of the problem of antibiotic resistance.