Effects of Promoting the Rational Use of Antibiotics in Upper Respiratory Infection, Acute Diarrhea and Fresh Traumatic Wound of Yasothon Hospital

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of promoting rational use of antibiotics on antibiotic prescribing rates and types of antibiotic groups prescribed for outpatients with upper respiratory infection (URI), acute diarrhea (AD) and fresh traumatic wound (FTW) including to study the effects on the amount of antibiotic use.

Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted during October,1st 2017 - September,30th 2020. The data were collected from outpatient electronic medical records. The data analysis was divided into three periods, where each period was one fiscal year.

Results: The percentage of antibiotic prescribing for URI, AD and FTW in fiscal year 2020 decreased from fiscal year 2018 by 9.95%, 1.51% and 3.82%, respectively. Comparing the percentage of antibiotic prescribing in fiscal year 2018, 2019 and 2020 with the target level, the URI prescribing rate did not meet the target level of no more than 30% (44.53%, 43.84% and 34.58 %, respectively), the AD prescribing rate met the target level of no more than 20% (14.48%, 16.98%, and 12.97%, respectively) and the FTW prescribing rate met the target level of no more than 50% (38.14%, 36.24% and 34.32%, respectively). The most commonly prescribed antibiotic group in fiscal year 2018, 2019 and 2020 are as follows, penicillins for URI (64.41%, 63.33% and 56.32%, respectively), fluoroquinolones for AD (70.75%, 65.50% and 68.99%, respectively), penicillins for FTW (73.98%, 68.57% and 66.04%, respectively). The amount of antibiotic use in all drug groups was a slight decrease in fiscal year 2018, 2019 and 2020 with the values of 2.1673, 2.0440 and 2.0900 DDDs/1000 OP visits/day, respectively. The results suggested that the amount of penicillins which was the most commonly prescribed drugs in URI and FTW was decreased with the value of 0.5422, 0.4766, 0.3766 DDDs/1000 OP visits/day, respectively.

Conclusions: The promoting the rational use of antibiotics in Yasothon Hospital effectively reduced antibiotics prescribing rates in URI, AD and FTW. The group of drugs used was appropriate. The amout was slightly reduced.