[Pattern of empiric antibiotic prescription in patients referred to an emergency department of a medical university affiliated hospital in Tehran]

ABSTRACT

Resistance in microorganisms is a serious problem in infectious medicine which the most reason is inappropriate antibiotic prescription by physicians. As there was not any information about the pattern of empiric antibiotic prescription in Iran, this study designed for recognition of antibiotic prescription pattern in one of emergency departments in a hospital affiliated to Shahid Beheshti medical university. This cross sectional study was performed during the years 2006-7 in the emergency department of the above mentioned hospital on 200 patients whom at least received one antibiotic. Physicians, after taking history and physical examination, completed the information form according to the patients chart in emergency department. Our references on appropriateness of empiric prescribed antibiotics were a] textbook of "Mandell's Principles and Practice of Infectious diseases, 6[th] Edition; 2005", and b] protocols from the "Infection Control Committee" of the same hospital. Among 200 patients to whom at least one antibiotic was prescribed, for 108 cases [54%], prescribed antibiotic was without indication and among 92 cases which antibiotic was indicated, in 55 cases [59.8%] the prescribed antibiotic was appropriate, i.e., the prescribed antibiotic was appropriate by type, dose and interval. According to the results, it is prudent that the prescription of antibiotics without clear indication and wrong selection of empiric antibiotics in this hospital's emergency department were disproportionately high. Thus it seems that using solutions like periodic education programs for physicians and supervision for prescribed antibiotics are mandatory