A PROSPECTIVE STUDY: FACTORS AFFECTING ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIBING PATTERN IN SURGERY WARDS IN RMMCH

Abstract

Antimicrobial prophylaxis has become an essential component of the standard of care in virtually all surgical procedures and has resulted in a reduced risk of postoperative infection when sound and appropriate principles of prophylaxis are applied. To determine the proportion of patients receiving antibiotics for common diseases and to understand the antibiotic prescription pattern and factors influencing it, a prospective study was done among the private practitioners in Chidambaram, India.  403 prescriptions by 20 physicians from selected health facilities were analyzed and found that 79.9% of patients with appendicitis, haemorrhoids, hernia, phimosis, diabetic foot ulcer were prescribed antibiotics. Cefataxime (43.9%) were the commonest antibiotic prescribed. Factors like postgraduate qualification, experience of physician, source and method of updating knowledge, inpatient practice setting and presence of fever, pus discharge, and pain influenced the antibiotic prescription.