Appropriate Antibiotic Use for Acute Diarrhea among Outpatients in Urban Primary Care Units
Appropriate Antibiotic Use for Acute Diarrhea
Keywords:
acute diarrhea, antibiotics, outpatient, primary care unitsAbstract
The use of antibiotics have been unreasonably high in practice and this has led to adverseconsequences such as an increased antibiotic resistance rate and an increased cost of treatment. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of antibiotic use in treating acute diarrhea among outpatients at urban primary care units of Lampang Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess antibiotic use among outpatients from January to December 2016. Information from electronic medical records, including medical history, physical examination, and laboratory testing, were reviewed to examine the appropriateness of antibiotic use. The association between appropriate antibiotic prescription and certain covariates were assessed, including patients' age group, gender and length of physicians' clinical experience. From 1,127 patient visits, approximately 71.3% of patients were 15-59 years of age. Appropriate use of antibiotics was documented in 64.9% of these patients. Evidence indicated an association between appropriate use of antibiotic prescription and the length of the doctors' experience. Evidence from this study suggests that there remains a problem concerning the inappropriate use of antibiotic treatment. Interventions, such as developing a system to advocate continuing medical education and appropriate antibiotic use are recommended with the goal of reducing antibiotic resistance and promoting efficient healthcare resources
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