Digital platform for prescription analytics and antibiotic surveillance in an outpatient department setup

The analysis of prescriptions plays a crucial role in promoting rational drug use, minimizing medication errors, and enabling effective antimicrobial surveillance. Manual analyzing is time-consuming, expensive, and error-prone. This study aimed to evaluate prescribing patterns and antimicrobial surveillance using a novel digital analytical platform in a tertiary care hospital.

A descriptive observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital, in India, between June and August 2024. Prescription data were collected from outpatient departments (general medicine, surgery, pediatrics, pulmonology, and orthopedics) and analyzed using the VaidyaRx digital analytic platform. World Health Organization Core Prescribing Indicators were applied to assess prescribing trends, generic drug usage, antibiotic prescribing patterns, fixed-dose combination (FDC), and adherence to the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). Data were analyzed using MS Excel and VaidyaRx.

Mean patient age was 35.8 ± 19.2 years, with pediatrics (21.8%), adult (73.3%), and geriatric (4.9%). The average drugs per prescription were 3.2, and generic prescriptions were 37.5%. Antibiotics were prescribed in 24.9% of prescriptions, highest in surgery (46.9%), with ofloxacin + ornidazole and amoxicillin + potassium clavulanate being the most common. NLEM drug use was 36.7%, with more FDCs from non-NLEM (40.9%) than NLEM (8.3%) drugs. Only 64.5% of prescriptions mentioned dosage, raising concerns about completeness.

Using the VaidyaRx digital platform, real-time prescription analysis was possible which helped in enhancing medication safety and antimicrobial stewardship. Suitable interventions are needed to reduce polypharmacy, increase generic prescribing, ensure rational antibiotic use, and improve prescribing practices.