Assessment of Pattern of Conversion from Intravenous to Oral Antimicrobial Agents at a Tertiary Care Hospital- A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Antimicrobial stewardship ASP emphasizes timely conversion from intravenous IV to oral antimicrobial agents AMA as a key strategy to optimize therapy shorten hospital stays and reduce healthcare costs. However inconsistent adherence to conversion protocols often results in unnecessary prolongation of IV therapy increasing complications and resource use.Objective To assess IV-to-oral antimicrobial conversion patterns in hospitalized patients including conversion rates and IV therapy duration.Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 90 adult patients gt18 years of either gender who received IV AMAs for at least 48 hours. Demographic and prescription details were recorded and eligibility for conversion was assessed using Antimicrobial Stewardship Program AMSP guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results The mean patient age was 44.1 plusmn 8.77 years with a male predominance. Abdominal 36.7 and skinsoft tissue infections 24.4 were the most frequent indications. Conversion to oral therapy occurred in 67 of patients predominantly via switch therapy 40.5 with IV Ceftriaxone to oral Cefixime as the most common regimen. The mean IV duration was 6.5 plusmn 3.20 days in converted patients versus 5.8 plusmn 2.47 days in non-converted with no significant difference P0.29. Distribution of conversion types differed significantly from uniform proportions P lt0.001. Only 47.44 of eligible patients underwent timely conversion within 48-72 hours.Conclusion The study demonstrates suboptimal adherence to IV-to-oral conversion protocols with less than half of eligible patients converted on time. Strengthening stewardship practices and clinician awareness is vital to improve outcomes and reduce resource utilization.