The Outpatient Prescribing Pattern of Cefuroxime in Al-Kharj

Abstract

Introduction: Several previous studies reported a high prescribing rate of cephalosporin antibiotics such as cefuroxime. The inappropriate outpatients prescribing of cefuroximeleads to the development of bacterial resistance.
 Aim: This study was conducted to demonstrate the prescribing pattern of cefuroxime in the outpatient setting in Alkharj.
 Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted to know the prescribing pattern of cefuroxime. The data were collected from electronic prescriptions in a public hospital in Alkharj in 2018. The data were collected and analyzed using Excel software and represented as frequencies and percentages.
 Results: In 2018, there were 316 prescriptions containing cefuroxime. The majority of the patient was males (56.01%). The majority of cefuroxime prescriptions include tablet dosage form (81.96%). About 62.03% of the outpatient prescriptions were prescribed by the emergency department.
 Conclusion: Cephalosporin group (including cefuroxime) was one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotic groups to treat several infections. A high percentage of antibiotic prescriptions were prescribed inappropriately. It is important to increase the awareness about the wise use of antibiotics and to start the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Systematic Review: Study of the Prescribing Pattern of Antibiotics in Outpatients and Emergency Departments in the Gulf Region

“…No pharmacy and therapeutic committee to oversee the use and prescribing practices of antibiotics, and lack of practice of sensitivity testing before prescribing antibiotics contribute to inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics.” Butt et al (2017) divided diagnosis into two types—1 in which antibiotics are indicated (bacterial infections) and diagnosis for which antibiotics are not indicated (viral infections)—through expert opinions, and they studied upper respiratory tract infection prescribing patterns of antibiotics in Qatar and found that 45% ( n = 75,733) of antibiotics prescribed are deemed inappropriate least in the emergency department with 2% and were the highest for family physicians. Shaheen et al (2018) measured appropriateness by comparing prescriptions with WHO guidelines on recommendation for acute respiratory tract infections in Saudi Arabia and stated, “Many physicians in Makkah Al Mukarramah are not following the WHO guidelines for Acute Respiratory Infection.” Ahmed et al studied the outpatient prescribing pattern of cefuroxime, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, and metronidazole in Saudi Arabia and concluded that a high percentage of antibiotics prescribed is inappropriate, and doxycycline is appropriately prescribed in the outpatients ( Ahmed, 2020a ; Ahmed, 2020b ; Ahmed, 2020c ; Ahmed, 2020d ).…”

“…Cephalosporins are widely prescribed in outpatient settings in the Gulf region. Overall, 30–40% of all antimicrobials prescribed in the Gulf region are cephalosporins with few exceptions ( Senok et al, 2009 ; John et al, 2014 ; Al-Balushi et al, 2014 ; Al Alawi et al, 2015 ; al Salman et al, 2016 ; Oqal et al, 2015 ; Alshakka et al, 2016 ; Butt et al, 2017 ; Shaheen et al, 2018 ; Alanazi, 2018 ; Almasoudi et al, 2019 ; Alanazi et al, 2019 ; Ahmed, 2020c ). Highly prescribed cephalosporins are ceftriaxone and cefuroxime.…”

“…Shaheen et al (2018) measured appropriateness by comparing prescriptions with WHO guidelines on recommendation for acute respiratory tract infections in Saudi Arabia and stated, "Many physicians in Makkah Al Mukarramah are not following the WHO guidelines for Acute Respiratory Infection." Ahmed et al studied the outpatient prescribing pattern of cefuroxime, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, and metronidazole in Saudi Arabia and concluded that a high percentage of antibiotics prescribed is inappropriate, and doxycycline is appropriately prescribed in the outpatients (Ahmed, 2020a;Ahmed, 2020b;Ahmed, 2020c;Ahmed, 2020d).…”

Prevalence of Infections, the Rate of Bacterial Resistance and Antibiotics Use in Al-kharj: Narrative Review

“…The study also showed that most of the patients received azithromycin for 3 days (88.17%) [30]. Among the 316 Outpatient who received cefuroxime in a Public Hospital in Al-kharj, the majority of cefuroxime prescriptions include tablet dosage form (81.96%) and about 62.03% of the outpatient prescriptions were prescribed by the emergency department [31]. Regarding the prescribing of metronidazole in the Outpatient Setting of a Public Hospital in Al-kharj, most of metronidazole prescriptions were regular and were prescribed mainly by residents [32].…”

“…Another studies about the use of azithromycin, cefuroxime, and metronidazole were conducted [30][31][32]. From January 2018 to June 2018, 541 outpatients received azithromycin mainly as a suspension (55.64%) [30].…”