Up to 89% of neonates received antibiotics in cross-sectional Indian study including those with no infections and unclear diagnoses.

AIM: There is a global lack of data on antibiotic prescribing for neonates. This study compared antibiotic prescribing practices in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of two private-sector, tertiary-level hospitals.

METHODS

A three-year, cross-sectional study was conducted from 2008 to 2011 in the NICUs of a teaching and nonteaching hospital in the Ujjain district of India. The data were analysed using methods recommended by the World Health Organization.

RESULTS

Of the 1789 inpatients, 89% (1399/1572) in the nonteaching hospital and 71% (154/217) in the teaching hospital were prescribed antibiotics and 123 patients died. All the antibiotics were prescribed empirically and cephalosporins and aminoglycosides were the most commonly prescribed subclasses. Fixed-dose combinations of cephalosporins were commonly prescribed in the nonteaching hospital. Neonatal sepsis was the most common diagnosis, in more than 30% of patients, and more than 93% neonates with sepsis were prescribed antibiotics. In addition, 40% of neonates in the nonteaching hospital were admitted for observation and were frequently prescribed antibiotics.

CONCLUSION

These two Indian NICUs prescribed antibiotics for noninfectious or unclear diagnoses in addition to prescribing combinations of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Such practices increase the global risk of treatment failure, neonatal mortality rates and antibiotic resistance.