Publication:

Antibiotic prescribing patterns at outpatient in Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital, Laikipia County, Kenya

Background Antibiotics are the most commonly and often imprudently used therapeutics globally. The study of use of antibiotic is vital, as irrational use is a global public health threat. Very few studies are done on the out-patient prescribing patterns of antibiotic in Kenya. This study aimed to evaluate the antibiotic prescription patterns in the outpatient department in Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital in Laikipia.

Methods We adopted a point prevalence study using the out-patient global PPS tool. Important variables had data represented in frequency tables and graphs. Chi-square determined the association between categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables. Confidentiality of data will be maintained throughout the study and STATA was used for analysis.

Results The point prevalence of antimicrobial use was (29.1%) patients who were receiving at least one antimicrobial agent at the time of the survey. Penicillins were the most commonly prescribed class (41.5%) followed by cephalosporins (21.6%). By age group, children had the highest proportion of prescriptions at 40.4%. Most common diagnostic indication was community acquired infection 89.5% that had least one antimicrobial while the highest infection is respiratory infections, at 26.3% of the cases, followed by gastrointestinal infections 19.8%. Cultures were rarely performed before initiating therapy, accounting for 1.8% only. Only 11.7%, of prescriptions were guided by existing local protocols.

Conclusions This study recommends strengthening antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) committees to routinely review prescribing trends, alongside expanding diagnostic services as culture and sensitivity facilities to support evidence-based antibiotic use. Additionally, improve the utilization of guidelines in treatment.