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[Use of antimicrobial drug prescriptions in children with a common cold or diarrhea]
Insights
Antimicrobial drugs were frequently prescribed to children with common colds and diarrhea, despite viral causes. This indicates irrational prescribing practices in pediatric care, highlighting the need for better physician training and monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Public health
Context:
- Routine pediatric practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1999-2000)
- Focus on common colds and diarrhea in children under 18
- Investigation of antimicrobial therapy at Hospital Konjic
Purpose:
- To determine the frequency of antimicrobial drug administration in pediatric patients with common colds and diarrhea
- To provide evidence of irrational antimicrobial prescribing in routine pediatric care
Summary:
- A study of 209 children with common colds and 95 with diarrhea found antimicrobials prescribed to 83.73% and 82.11% respectively.
- The high prescription rates, despite predominantly viral etiologies, suggest irrational drug use.
- Identified contributing factors include diagnostic challenges, physician education, consulting skills, workload, parental influence, and pharmaceutical industry impact.
Impact:
- Highlights significant antimicrobial overuse in pediatric settings, contributing to antimicrobial resistance.
- Underscores the financial burden on healthcare systems due to unnecessary drug prescriptions.
- Recommends enhanced physician training, evidence-based guidelines, and continuous monitoring to promote rational antimicrobial use in children.
Abstract:
There are justified reasons to assume that antibicrobial drugs are too frequently prescribed in routine pediatric practice. The main aim of the study was to prove the frequency of antimicrobial administration to children. A total of 209 children of either sex and under 18 years of age with common colds and 95 children with diarrhea who were examined at the Primary Health Care Department of Hospital Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period of Jan 1999-Apr 2000 were investigated for antimicrobial therapy. Antimicrobials were prescribed to 175 (83.73 per cent) patients with common cold and 78 (82.11 per cent) patients with diarrhea. Taking into consideration that the aetiology of these conditions was predominantly viral, the outcome of this study provides the evidence of irrational administration of antimicrobials and states the possible ones: diagnostic difficulties in routine pediatric practice, low educational level of physicians, lack of consulting skills, overworked primary health care physicians, influence of inpatient parents about prescribing antibiotics and influence of pharmaceutical industry. It is widely known that the negative effects of such superflous administration could leave numerous consequences to the patients health condition. Besides that, irrational use of the above mentioned drugs financially charges health system funds. It is therefore necessary to enhance consulting skills, to improve research and evidence based guidelines and monitoring strategies as well in order to support rational antimicrobial administration to children. The observation that irrational use of antibiotics was detected frequently with both common cold and diarrea suggests the need for continous monitoring and analyses of antibiotic administration to children from our region.