PRESCRIPTION PATTERN ANALYSIS USING WHO AWARE GUIDELINE OF ANTIBIOTICS USED AMONG IN-PATIENTS IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN UPPER ASSAM – A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is largely caused by the irrational and inappropriate use of antibiotics. To encourage sensible antibiotic prescription and enhance antimicrobial stewardship, the WHO established the AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) categorization and also\ to uncover irrational prescribing practices. Objectives: To assess antibiotic prescribing patterns and compliance with WHO AWaRe standards in several tertiary care hospital departments. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with in-patients admitted to the medical, dermatological, and psychiatric departments of the ‘Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh’. Using purposive sampling, 230 prescriptions that contained at least one antibiotic. Case record form was used to document demographic information, diagnosis, recommended antibiotics, mode of administration, length of therapy, and generic prescriptions. Antibiotics were categorized using the WHO AWaRe classification, and Microsoft Excel’s descriptive statistics were used to examine prescription indicators. Results: Antibiotics were given more frequently from the Watch group (56%) compared to the Access group (36%). Ceftriaxone (36.54%) as most commonly prescribed and other broad-spectrum antibiotics accounted for the majority of prescriptions and there was male (55.3%) preponderance in antibiotic consumption. Generic prescriptions revealed high adherence (91.35%) to WHO guideline, and the majority of antibiotics were administered parenterally (92.1%) and Department of Medicine (47.1%) with the highest prescription of antibiotics followed by Dermatology (43.4%) and Psychiatry (10.6%). The results showed indications of irrational antibiotic use together with a partial adherence to WHO AWaRe recommendations. Conclusion: Various departments had inconsistent adherence to WHO AWaRe standards and a preponderance of Watch group antibiotics. To lower antimicrobial resistance and enhance patient care, routine prescription audits, antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, and the encouragement of sensible antibiotic prescribing are essential.