European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

A REVIEW ON PRESCRIBING PATTERNS OF ANTIBIOTICS AND RATIONALITY ASSESSMENT IN PEDIATRIC POPULATION

Patel Trushali*, Dr. Jalpa A. Soni, Dr. I. S. Anand and Dhiren Chaudhari

ABSTRACT

The paediatric population comprises of 20-25 percent of the total world population and children comprises about 40% of india’s population. Paediatric population is among the most vulnerable population group. Since pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetics parameters are different in children, which make them more susceptible to adverse drug reactions. Moreover, antibiotics are the commonly prescribed class of drugs in the paediatric age group. Antibiotics are highly powerful against bacterial infections. However excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics causes several adverse effects such as an increase of resistant to microorganisms, morbidity and mortality, drug toxicity, long hospitalization period and increase of costs. The majority of infections which are seen in general are of viral origin and antibiotics can neither treat viral infections nor can prevent secondary bacterial infections in such patients. Irrational use of antibiotics in pediatric population can lead to increase in drug cost, treatment failure, polypharmacy, resistance to the drugs. Hence prescription of this type of patients should be properly reviewed as there are higher chances of bacterial resistance because of inappropriate use of antibiotics for the infections which are of viral origin.

Keywords: Antibiotics, Prescription pattern, Pediatric, Irrational, Antibiotic resistance.