A authorities research has discovered “remarkably excessive” prevalence of antibiotic use, with 71.9 per cent of surveyed sufferers at 20 tertiary care hospitals being prescribed it.
The findings of the research, performed between November 2021 and April 2022, have been launched by the Union Well being Ministry on Tuesday.
The research discovered that 45 per cent of the sufferers have been being prescribed antibiotics for therapeutic indications and 55 per cent for preventive cause. It additionally confirmed that 4.6 per cent of the sufferers took 4 or extra antibiotics.
The World Well being Group (WHO) included antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of many high 10 threats to public well being in 2019.
Indiscriminate, extreme and inappropriate use of antibiotics has been a priority and over time, India has taken many steps to cope with the problem of antimicrobial resistance. One of many necessary methods within the nationwide motion plan for antimicrobial resistance is the gathering data on antibiotic utilization by way of surveillance mechanisms.
There’s restricted data on how antibiotics are prescribed and used on the affected person stage. For this, WHO has provide you with the International Level prevalence survey methodology to grasp the prescribing patterns in hospitals, and repeated such surveys assist examine antibiotic use over time.
There are solely few research which were performed in India utilizing this system. The current research has been accomplished in 20 tertiary care institutes throughout 15 states and two Union Territories.
The report additionally generates suggestions primarily based on the findings to observe antibiotic utilization on the hospital stage.
Over a interval of six months, 9,652 eligible sufferers have been surveyed out of 11,588 admissions.
“The prevalence of antibiotic use was 71.9 per cent. It confirmed vast variation between the websites starting from 37 per cent to 100 per cent. General, there have been 12,342 antibiotic prescriptions, 86.5 per cent of those have been prescribed by way of parenteral route. Solely six per cent of the sufferers have been on definitive remedy with 94 per cent being empirical remedy,” the research discovered.
In addition to, 45 per cent of the sufferers have been being prescribed antibiotics for therapeutic indications and 55 per cent for prophylactic indications, the research report said.
Out of 20, 4 institutes had greater than 95 per cent prevalence of antibiotic use.
The research discovered that “watch group” antibiotics (57 per cent) have been prescribed extra regularly than “entry group” antibiotics (38 per cent), with solely two websites reporting greater prescription charges for entry group antibiotics, the research discovered.
The excessive use of “watch group” antibiotics is of concern as these antibiotics have a better potential to develop antibiotic resistance.
Entry group antibiotics have a decrease potential for the number of antimicrobial resistance.
The research beneficial that establishments ought to adhere to plain remedy pointers and an infection management practices to mitigate antibiotic resistance and that every institute ought to have an outlined antibiotic coverage which ought to encourage use of entry group antibiotics.
Establishments ought to purpose to maintain the consumption of reserve group antibiotics at low ranges and monitor the utilization of reserve group medicine obtained from exterior the hospital pharmacy.
Polypharmacy was noticed in all of the establishments. Combining two antibiotics can improve the danger of opposed results and drug interactions.
Subsequently, establishments are instructed to undertake commonplace remedy pointers.
Establishments have been urged to keep away from pointless double protection with antibiotics for anaerobic micro organism and Gram-negative micro organism.
Using antibiotics not beneficial by the WHO has been noticed within the research. Establishments ought to monitor the consumption of such medicine intently, the report said.
Surgical prophylaxis needs to be restricted to a single dose or in the future earlier than the surgical process, and remedy for post-procedure infections ought to solely be administered after a analysis of an infection
