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Prescribing Patterns for Acute Respiratory Infections in Children in Primary Health Care Centers, Makkah Al
M H Shaheen1, M I Siddiqui2, H A Jokhdar2
1Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Physicians in Makkah frequently overprescribe antibiotics for acute respiratory infections (ARIs), often without a recorded diagnosis, contrary to WHO guidelines. Educational interventions are recommended to improve rational antibiotic use and diagnostic practices in primary care.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Primary Health Care
Background:
- Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent a significant global health burden, frequently leading to primary health care center visits.
- Antibiotic overuse is prevalent in developing nations for ARIs, despite most cases being viral and not requiring antibiotics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate physician prescribing patterns for ARIs in Makkah primary health care centers.
- To compare observed practices against World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
- To identify areas for health promotion and improved physician education.
Main Methods:
- A 2-month observational study was conducted across 14 randomly selected primary health care centers in Makkah.
- Analysis of 908 randomly selected prescriptions from general practitioners.
- Data collected included patient demographics, recorded diagnoses, and prescribed treatments.
Main Results:
- Antibiotics were prescribed in 62.34% of cases, often for conditions like the common cold where they are not indicated.
- A significant number of cases lacked recorded diagnoses (9.6%) or patient weights (24.7%).
- Prescribing practices deviated from WHO guidelines for ARI management.
Conclusions:
- Physician adherence to WHO guidelines for ARI management in Makkah is suboptimal.
- There is a clear need for targeted educational programs to promote rational antibiotic use and accurate diagnosis.
- Enhancing health promotion initiatives is crucial for improving primary care practices related to ARIs.
Abstract:
Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are a major public health problem and one of the commonest reasons for visiting primary health care centers (PHC). In developing countries, seventy-five percent of the cases are treated with antibiotics, although the majority are caused by viral infection. Our aim was to observe the pattern of physician practices with respect to ARI, in comparison to WHO protocols and to provide recommendations for health promotion enhancement. The study was conducted in Makkah PHC centers, for 2 months. A total 14 PHC centers were randomly selected. And 908 prescriptions were obtained randomly from general practitioners (GP) and analyzed. We found that males were 522 and females were and 386. Weights were not recorded in 224 (24.7%) cases. In 87 cases (9.6%) no diagnosis was recorded. In 515 (62.34%) of cases, antibiotics were prescribed; most of these cases were of simple common cold, with antibiotics not recommended. To conclude, many physicians in Makkah are not following the WHO guidelines for Acute Respiratory Infection. Educational health programs should be conducted to sensitize the physicians regarding the appropriate method of diagnosis and rational use of antibiotics.
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