Assessment of antibiotic prescription patterns in a tertiary care hospital in chennai: a retrospective study

The inappropriate and excessive use of antibiotics is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), posing a significant global health challenge. Tertiary care hospitals play a vital role in antibiotic stewardship by ensuring rational prescribing practices. This retrospective observational study evaluated antibiotic prescription patterns in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, analyzing 300 prescriptions from the Medicine, Surgery, and Orthopaedics departments. The findings revealed distinct trends, with monotherapy being more common in Medicine (46%), while Surgery (90%) and Orthopaedics (70%) relied heavily on fixed-dose combinations (FDCs). Injectable antibiotic use was notably high, particularly in Orthopaedics (95.4%) and Surgery (90.2%), with a concerning absence of generic drug prescriptions across all departments. Adherence to the World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Drug List (EDL) was moderate, with Surgery demonstrating the highest compliance (60.2%). Cephalosporins and β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. The study underscores the need for enhanced antibiotic stewardship strategies, including increasing generic drug prescriptions, optimizing oral antibiotic use where feasible, and strengthening adherence to standard treatment guidelines and the WHO EDL.