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ABSTRACT
Background: Antibiotics are the most widely utilized therapeutic agents in pediatrics. Inappropriate use results in antibiotic resistance, increased morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization recommends assessment of antibiotics use to guide prescribing practices. Objective: To describe the pattern of antibiotic usage among paediatric outpatients aged < 18 years in Central hospital in Edo, Nigeria. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional retrospective study approach, which made use of a pre-designed data collection form to assess prescription records of pediatric outpatients, who received one or more antibiotics in the past 24 months. Results: Out of 250 prescription records, 185 (74%) met the inclusive criteria. Most common antibiotics being Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid in 40 (21.6%), Metronidazole in 25 (13.5%), and Cefuroxime in 17 (9.1%). A total of 687 drugs were prescribed, with an average of 2.74 ±1.13 drugs per prescription. An average of 1.27 ± 0.48 antibiotics were given per prescription. Generic name was used in 73.9%, while 100% of the drugs were on the essential medicines list. Frequent diagnoses were malaria/typhoid, 62/185 (33.5%), upper respiratory infections in 38 (11.1%) and gastrointestinal infections/diarrhea in 30 (16.2%). Only 21% of the cases received injectable antibiotics. Conclusion: Utilization of antibiotics, especially penicillins, nitroimidazoles and cephalosporins, is higher than WHO ideal standards. There is need for improved diagnostic facilities to avoid antibiotic overuse and its consequences. KEYWORDS: Antibiotics, prescription, utilization, pediatric, outpatient, diagnosis
