THE ANTIBIOTIC CONUNDRUM AND ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON PRESCRIBING PATTERN OF ANTIBIOTICS IN A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Background: In contemporary medicine, antimicrobial drugs are the cornerstone of treatment. Antibiotic resistance results from the inappropriate prescription of antibiotics. The World Health Organization (WHO) created the WHO AWaRe categorization of antibiotics and core prescribing indicators. It is necessary to comprehend antibiotic stewardship and prescription practices. The current study audits prescriptions in a teaching hospital for tertiary care to evaluate the pattern of antibiotic prescribing. Methods: A hospital-based study was carried out over 6 months among inpatients in the General Medicine ward. The WHO AWaRe categorization tool, WHO core prescribing indicators, and Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGS) compliance were used to assess prescriptions. Results: 577 of the 2373 medications that were prescribed in 307 prescriptions were antibiotics. There were 7.73 medications per prescription. 93.5% of antibiotics were from the Essential Medicines List (EML), whereas 26.51% of antibiotics were prescribed in generic names. The most often used antibiotic was ceftriaxone, while the most widely used antibiotic medication class is penicillins with beta-lactamase inhibitors. The proportion of antibiotics prescribed from the watch and access groups was 63.93 % and 35.88 %, respectively. More than half of the antibiotic prescriptions were concordant with STGs. Conclusion: This study offers proof of the need for and a method to establish an antimicrobial stewardship at the hospital, which may facilitate the implementation of Culture-guided antibiotic prescribing, as well as the development of institutional standards