Abstract:
Background: The danger associated with unguided and unmonitored prescribing of antibiotics in health
institutions calls for antibiotic policies in order to avoid deviation from the standard recommended by the World
Health Organization (WHO). Institutions that uphold compliance should be highly commended. This study was
aimed to evaluate the prescribing pattern of antibiotics in Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH), Jos
Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: Trend and adherence-check on antibiotics prescriptions in compliance with the WHO
and the institutions essential drug lists (IEDL), identification of prevalent infections especially from clients sent
to the laboratory for various investigations before prescriptions were reviewed from 620 Hospital cards of the
General Out-Patients Department (GOPD).
Results: Gender distribution was females 343(55.3%) than males 277 (44.7%), with the majority age range of
25-34 years 227 (36.6%). From a total of 820 (single and multiple requests), stool specimen 257 (31%) was the
highest, followed by urine, blood and sputum. Though, the females had higher percentage of request from the
GOPD of BHUTH, but with no significant difference between the number of laboratory investigations in
relation to gender at p<0.05 (p=0.7022). In addition, the most frequently prescribed class of antibiotics was
Quinolones (51.8%). This was followed by Penicillins (21.6%), Sulfonamides (13.5%), Tetracyclins (12.2%)
and Cephalosphorins (0.9%) respectively from monotherapy (90.5%) and multiple therapies (9.5%). Also, there
is no significant difference between the category of antibiotics prescribed and gender at p<0.05 (p=0.6788) in,
BHUTH. The most common indication for antibiotics prescribing was respiratory tract infections (26.3%).
Present study indicated significant relationship between gender and common diagnoses to antibiotics
prescribing at p<0.05 (p=3.88) in BHUTH. All (100%) prescribed antibiotics were found in both WHO and
BHUTH Essential Drug Lists.
Conclusion: This study points out good compliance antibiotic prescribing practice with WHO and institutional
recommended standards. It further showed that females are prescribed with antibiotics more than their male
counterparts.
KEY WORD: Antibiotics, prescribing pattern; prevalent infection; Laboratory investigation; EDL adherence;
