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Patterns of drug prescribing for children in hospital
Insights
A 1974-1975 Tayside study found children received fewer prescribed drugs than adults. Pediatric drug use favored antimicrobials, antihistamines, and decongestants, differing significantly from adult prescribing patterns.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric pharmacology
- Drug utilization studies
- Hospital pharmacy
Background:
- Understanding pediatric drug prescriptions is crucial for patient safety and effective treatment.
- Previous studies have highlighted variations in drug use between pediatric and adult populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze and compare drug prescribing patterns for children and adults in Tayside hospitals during 1974-1975.
- To identify key drug classes and specific agents utilized in pediatric care.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of computer prescription files for over 4000 children per year (1974-1975).
- Comparison of pediatric drug data with similar data collected for adult patients.
- Categorization of drugs into therapeutic classes for comparative analysis.
Main Results:
- Children received a mean of 2.5 drugs, significantly fewer than adults.
- Antimicrobial agents constituted one-third of pediatric drug use, with penicillin preparations dominating.
- Greater use of antihistamine/sedatives, anticonvulsants, and decongestants in children compared to adults.
- A notable shift from ampicillin to amoxycillin in pediatric prescriptions between 1974 and 1975.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric drug prescribing in Tayside hospitals during 1974-1975 showed distinct patterns compared to adults.
- Antimicrobials were a major component of pediatric prescriptions, with evolving preferences for specific agents.
- The findings underscore the need for continued surveillance of pediatric drug utilization.
Abstract:
The drugs prescribed for children in Tayside hospitals in 1974 and 1975 were surveyed using the computer files of over 4000 children in each year. The results were compared with similar data on adult patients. Although similar proportions of both age groups received drugs, less than 3 drugs were prescribed for the great majority of the children (mean 2.5) compared with twice that number for adults. Seven classes of drugs accounted for almost four-fifths of the drugs prescribed for children but the same classes formed two-fifths only of the total drug use in adults. There was significantly greater use of antihistamine/sedative, anticonvulsant and decongestant/mucolytic drugs in children than in adults while the reverse was true for diuretics, KCL, cardio active agents, sedatives/hypnotics, and tranquillisers. Antimicrobial drugs accounted for approximately one-third of the total drugs used in children and one half of all patients received at least one drug from this class. Penicillin preparations alone accounted for 65.1 per cent of all antimicrobial drug use. The percentage of children given ampicillin fell by almost half from 1974 to 1975 with a corresponding increase in the proportion receiving amoxycillin.