Abu Nawa, Ahmad Ismail

Assessment of drug utilization pattern of antimicrobial agents in hospitalized patients with Infectious Diseases: A cross‑sectional study in the United Arab Emirates - Vol.14(4), Oct-Dec - Mumbai Wolter Kluwer 2023 - 299-305p.

Efficacious use of antimicrobial agents (AMAs) is paramount to combat a wide range
of infections, ensure patient safety, and reduce antimicrobial resistance. To assess
the drug utilization patterns of AMAs in hospitalized patients with infectious diseases
in a secondary care hospital. A prospective observational study was conducted for
6 months in the internal medicine department. Data were collected, antimicrobial
prescription patterns were screened, and drug utilization was assessed using the
anatomical therapeutic chemical/defined daily dose methodology. Furthermore,
predictors of the prescription of multiple AMAs were also analyzed. A total of
146 patient case records were reviewed and 285 AMAs were prescribed during the
study period with a mean patient age of 54.2 ± 24.4 years. The average number of
antimicrobials administered per patient was 1.94 ± 0.94. Respiratory tract infection
and urinary tract infection were the common indications, and penicillins were the
most prescribed class of AMAs. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of
comorbidities (P < 0.05) and longer hospital stays (P < 0.0001) increased the likelihood
of prescribing multiple AMAs. The study provides insight into the pattern of prescribing
of AMAs which help to improve the quality of care. Prescribing AMAs by generics
and from the hospital formulary list according to the recommendations of the World
Health Organization is a good sign of clinical practice. The study signifies the need
to continuously monitor AMAs to optimize drug therapy and enhance the quality of
drug use in clinical practice.

Subjects--Topical Terms:
PHARMACEUTICS