UTILIZATION PATTERN OF ANTI-MICROBIAL DRUGS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Ophthalmologists generally treat ocular infections by giving prophylactic anti-microbial therapy as they do not have data from culture analysis. The indiscriminate use of anti-microbials can lead to drug resistance, difficulty in treating infections, and increased chances of severe ocular damage. The purpose of this study was to analyze the utilization of anti-microbial drugs in the ophthalmology department at a tertiary care hospital. This is an observational study conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Details of total 740 prescriptions were collected from out-patient records and analyzed. The total 740 prescriptions, 56.4% were males, and 43.6% were females. The highest number of patients was in the age group of 61-70 years. Post-operative cataract cases were in maximum (51.9%) followed by conjunctivitis (15.3%). A total of 846 anti-microbial drugs were analyzed from 740 prescriptions. Average number of anti-microbials per prescription was 1.15. Eye drops were the most commonly prescribed dosage formulation. Moxifloxacin was the most commonly prescribed anti-microbial drug as monotherapy. The most commonly prescribed fixed-dose combination was gatifloxacin plus prednisolone. The frequency and the duration of anti-microbial therapy were recorded in all the prescriptions. The present study shows that the prescribing patterns of ophthalmologists are based on clinical knowledge, expertise and is in accordance with the rational utilization of anti-microbials. In this study, the information regarding the frequency and duration of the study were recorded in all the prescriptions. Restraint on polypharmacy revealed in our study could be advantageous in reducing the potential adverse effects and economic burden on the patients.