Medication use for pediatric upper respiratory tract infections
Biswadeep Das1, Chayna Sarkar, Abhijeet Guha Majumder
1Department of Pharmacology, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, 5th Mile, Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim, India. biswadeepdas@hotmail.com
Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology
|July 27, 2006
Summary
This study analyzed pediatric upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) prescriptions, finding frequent use of fixed-dose combination (FDC) products and a need for more rational medication selection in children. The research highlights potential risks associated with current prescribing patterns for URTI treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pharmacology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are common in children.
- Medication prescribing patterns for URTIs in pediatric populations require monitoring for safety and efficacy.
- Fixed-dose combination (FDC) products are frequently used in pediatric URTI management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To monitor medication prescribing patterns for pediatric URTI patients.
- To identify common drug classes and specific medications prescribed for URTIs in children.
- To evaluate the rationality of medication selection and identify areas for improvement in pediatric URTI treatment.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 562 URTI prescriptions for children aged 0-12 years.
- Data collected via random weekly surveys at the pediatric outpatient department (OPD) of Central Referral Hospital (CRH), Gangtok, Sikkim.
- Prescribing patterns, drug classes, FDC usage, and specific drug choices were analyzed.
Main Results:
- The average number of medications per encounter was 2.37, with 59.2% being FDC products.
- Respiratory medicines constituted 47% of prescriptions, followed by antimicrobials (30.7%) and analgesic-antipyretics (18.8%).
- Commonly prescribed antimicrobials included amoxicillin with clavulanate, and paracetamol was the most frequent analgesic-antipyretic.
Conclusions:
- Medication selection for pediatric URTIs showed rational use in only a few cases.
- Significant anomalies were observed in drug use for URTIs in children.
- There is a clear need for more rational medicine use in pediatric URTI treatment to improve clinical and cost-effectiveness and reduce side effect risks.
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