Evaluation of Antibacterial Utilization in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate prescription and use of antibacterial agents is widely reported at various levels of practice. These agents are also becoming decreasingly useful due to resistance, which partly resulted from misuse and abuse. Their role in continuity of healthy life is highly crucial to fight our “competitors”. More so, they share a good proportion of total drug budget in every country including a comatose economy like ours.

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to evaluate the use of antibacterial agents in order to assess how rational they are being used and if necessary to make recommendations on its improvement. This is particularly important as most hospitals in the country if not all have neglected the Drug Utilization Review aspects of Drug and Therapeutic Committee roles. It can also form basis for intervention be it educational, managerial or regulatory.

METHODS: It is a retrospective drug utilization review studies, in addition a cost perspective was added. Sampled Case notes were examined for prescriptions. Interview with pharmacists about some issues such as cost of drugs and formulary list was also carried out and cost minimization analysis for branded and generics as well.

RESULTS: The agents were used fairly rationally. However, the degree of poly pharmacy still remains high with an average number of drugs per encounter of 4.2. The most frequently used agent was metronidazole (17.72%), followed by gentamicin (16.88%) and ampiclox (14.07%). Out of stock items were not many. No copy of drug formulary list could be seen despite claims for its availability.

CONCLUSION: Antibacterial policy need to be formulated inform of regular updated list and standard treatment guidelines. All the stakeholders must be carried along right from formulation stage to make enforcement and monitoring participative and full implementation successful.


NQJHM Vol. 15 (1) 2005: pp. 42-45