Rationality of Prescriptions for Patients Admitted With Common Illnesses in a Children’s Hospital

Abstract

Background: Recent advances in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry have led to a multitude of treatment options for the management of illness in both adults and children. Objectives: To identify prescribing patterns for children hospitalized with common acute illnesses in a tertiary-care children’s hospital. Materials and Methods: Case notes of children hospitalized from October 2013 to September 2014 with urinary tract infection, respiratory distress, pneumonia, acute gastroenteritis, febrile convulsions, acute bacterial meningitis, and fever with rash or without a localized source, as well as case notes of previously healthy children scheduled for surgery, were reviewed. Relevant data regarding diagnoses, hospital course, and treatment were documented on information sheets and reviewed independently by two members of the faculty (pediatric infectious disease specialists) to evaluate the appropriateness of prescriptions given for each patient. Results: A total of 227 case notes were reviewed, 129 (56.8%) of which belonged to male patients. No medication was prescribed for 13 patients, whereas 697 drug prescriptions (excluding intravenous fluids) were given for 214 patients, equaling 3.25 drugs/patient; antibiotics were prescribed for 161 children (70.92%). Overall, 87.96% of drugs were prescribed by their generic names; 20% of prescribed medications were unnecessary; the dose was incorrect in 15% of prescriptions; and the duration of treatment was inappropriate in about 27% of prescriptions. Only 29% of children with acute diarrhea received oral rehydration therapy. Conclusions: Findings reveal a significant degree of prescription errors, emphasizing the need for stringent surveillance.