ASSESSMENT OF DRUG USE FOR INPATIENTS WHO WERE PRESCRIBED CEFTAZIDIME: A RETROSPECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN A DISTRICT-LEVEL HOSPITAL

Abstract

In health facilities, there is a lot of public concern about the irrational use of medications, especially antibiotic misuse. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the utilization of medicines for inpatients using ceftazidime in treatment in a district-level hospital in Vietnam, using 396 medical records. The results showed that there were approximately 6.7 kinds of drugs prescribed for each inpatient, including roughly 1.23 antibiotics. On average, 5.69 days of hospitalization cost an inpatient about 74.31USD, including more than 20USD for medicines (9.22USD for antibiotics) and 54.27USD for other expenses. There were 19.70% of medical records in which found at least one drug-drug interaction. Cardiovascular medicines, corticoids, fluoroquinolones and proton-pump inhibitors were medicine groups involving many found drug-drug interactions. For ceftazidime, indications of this antibiotic were inappropriate for nearly half of inpatients. For 199 inpatients whose indications’ ceftazidime were appropriate, the route of ceftazidime administration was appropriate but its dose per day and dose duration were inappropriate. More importantly, ceftazidime was used with a dosage lower than the recommended dosage (98.99%). In conclusion, there were several problems involving drug use that should be addressed, including curbing major drug-drug interactions and the irrational use of ceftazidime, a watch-group, broad-spectrum antibiotic.