The Impact of Clinical Pharmacist Interventions on Drug and Antibiotic Prescribing in a Teaching Hospital in Cairo

Osama H. Mohamed Ibrahim, Suleiman El-Sharif

1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy at University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE; 2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy at Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt;.
Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy at University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.

DOI: 10.4236/pp.2012.34062                

Abstract

Background: The present study was undertaken to investigate the patterns of drug and antibiotics prescribing in a teaching hospital in Cairo, Egypt. Aim: to determine the impact of interventions on such trends in an attempt to rationalize drug use. Method: 1200 prescriptions and patients' records covering the months of January to December, 2011. Prescribing patterns were analyzed using WHO guidelines with regard to prescribing, patient care and health facility indicators. The same parame-ters were again assessed after distributing antibiotic guidelines and holding workshops activities directed towards rational drug use. Results: The number of hospital visits resulting in a prescription was significantly reduced from 94% to 86% (P-value <0.05) and in both cases none of the en-counters contained a generic drug. The average number of drugs per encounter was 2.7 and did not decrease significantly after intervention. A significant reduction was achieved in the number of prescriptions with antibiotics whereas reduction in encounters with injectable drugs was not statis-tically significant. Penicillins was the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics and amoxicillin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic. A significant reduction was observed in both en-counters with penicillin and the total of those with antibiotics. Analysis of prescriptions with anti-biotics revealed that penicillins, cephalosporins and erythromycin comprised 94% and 97% of all antibiotics prescribed before and after interventions respectively. Conclusion: The present results clearly indicated that interventions including distribution of antibiotic guidelines and running workshops and seminars on rational drug use to prescribers can lead to significant improvement in prescribing behavior.

Keywords

Intervention, Clinical Pharmacist, Teaching Hospital, Antibiotics, Cairo

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

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[31]	Farrar WE. Antibiotics resistance in developing countries. Journal of infectious diseases, 1985, 152:1103-06.
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[36]	Hamadeh GN, Dickerson LM, Saab BR, Major SC. Common prescriptions in ambulatory care in Lebanon. Ann Pharmacother. 2001; 35:636-40.
[37]	Lindbaek M, Berild D, Straand J, Hjortdahl P. Influence of prescription patterns in general practice on anti-microbial resistance in Norway. Brit J Gen Pract. 1999; 49:436-40.
[38]	Bannenberg WJ, Forshaw CJ, Fresle D, Salami AO, Wahab HA. Evaluation of the Nile Province essential Drugs Project: Mission report by a WHO team, Sudan, 27 April-12 May, 1991. Geneva, WHO. 1991.
[39]	Moghadamnia AA, Mirbolooki MR, Aghili MB. General practitioner prescribing patterns in Babol city,Islamic Republic of Iran. East Mediterr Health J. 2002;8(4&5):550-55.
[40]	Majeed A, Moser K. Age- and sex-specific antibiotic prescribing patterns in general practice in England and Wales in 1996. Brit J Gen Pract. 1999; 49:735-36.