A Point Prevalence Survey of Antibiotic Use among Inpatients at a Tertiary Care Health Facility in Kolkata.

BACKGROUND

Inappropriate use of antibiotics can have a significant impact on health care costs, increasing the likelihood of adverse drug reactions (ADR) and acting as a primary contributor to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

OBJECTIVE

To get baseline data on the pattern and characteristics of antibiotic use among the inpatients at a particular tertiary care health facility in Kolkata.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted in the study hospital as a part of the first multicentric survey at NACNET (National Antimicrobial Consumption Network) sites, India. Data from all indoor admitted patients (medical wards) were collected, using a pretested Google Form, at 9:00 AM on a single day in the month of December 2021. The total number of beds covered was 148. Antibiotic use was classified as empiric, definitive, or prophylactic.

RESULTS

Cumulatively, 118 antibiotic prescribing encounters were documented among 84 surveyed patients. A total of 72.61% (n = 61) of admitted patients were on antibiotics. Out of these, 19.04% (n = 16) patients received one antibiotic, 46.42% (n = 39) patients received two antibiotics, and 7.14% (n = 6) patients received three or more antibiotics. The rest 27.38% (n = 23) of patients did not receive any antibiotics. The top two antibiotics prescribed were doxycycline and gentamicin, both from the "Access" category. When taking into account the total prescribing encounters of antibiotics, about 50.84% (n = 60), 42.37% (n = 50), and 6.77% (n = 8) were from the Access, Watch, and Reserve groups, respectively. The average number of antibiotics prescribed was 1.40 per eligible patient.

CONCLUSION

The relatively high use of antibiotics observed can be attributed to the study site being a tertiary care hospital specializing in the treatment of infectious diseases. This study showed the feasibility of conducting a point prevalence survey in a tertiary care public facility hospital with a paper-based medical record system. The study results emphasized the need to implement activities such as prescription audit, hospital antibiotic policy, and antibiotic stewardship program in the future.