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Published on: August 25, 2014

Changing patterns of drug utilization in a neonatal intensive care population

Wei Du1, Indulekha Warrier, Victoria Tutag Lehr

  • 1Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Carmen and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Children's Hospital of Michigan 48201, USA.

American Journal of Perinatology
|June 27, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) drug use patterns shifted significantly over seven years. Antibiotic, CNS, endocrine, cardiovascular, and GI drug use increased, while ophthalmic drug use decreased.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal pharmacology
  • Drug utilization studies
  • Intensive care medicine

Background:

  • Neonates in the NICU receive numerous medications, increasing their risk of adverse drug reactions.
  • Periodic review of NICU drug use patterns is crucial for identifying new and increasing drug trends.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze changes in drug utilization patterns within an NICU population over a seven-year period.
  • To identify specific drug classes and individual medications with significant changes in use.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of drug utilization data for 2332 neonates (1997-1998) and 2691 neonates (2001-2004).
  • Statistical analysis included chi-square tests, T tests, and linear regression to evaluate drug use trends.

Main Results:

  • Increased utilization observed in antibiotics, central nervous system (CNS) drugs, endocrine agents, cardiovascular drugs, and gastrointestinal drugs.
  • Decreased utilization noted for ophthalmic drugs; no significant changes in nutritional, biological, renal, or pulmonary drugs.
  • Specific drug trends included increased vancomycin, cefepime, and caffeine use, alongside decreased morphine use.

Conclusions:

  • Significant shifts in NICU drug utilization patterns occurred over the seven-year study period.
  • These findings aid in monitoring drug resistance, adverse drug reactions, and guiding therapeutic research and education.

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