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FREQUENCY OF OUTPATIENT ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIPTION IN RIYADH

Nehad J. Ahmed*, Faisal k. Alkhawaja, Abdullah A. Almutairi , Mohamed F Balaha

Introduction: Antibiotics are medications save lives, but these medications are losing their effectiveness due to the development of bacterial resistance. Up to 50 % of antibiotic use is unnecessary or inappropriate. This study aimed to describe the frequency of antibiotics dispensing to explore the need to target antibiotic stewardship efforts to providers and patients in the outpatient settings. Methodology: We randomly collected prescriptions from different outpatient pharmacies in Riyadh city to demonstrate the number of prescribed antibiotics and the number of the prescribed medications in general Results and Discussion: The total number of prescriptions is 223, more than half of these prescription (63 %) contain at least 1 antibiotic. The majority of the antibiotics prescribed are solid dosage form and used orally. The most dispensed antibiotic class is penicillin. Conclusion: The antibiotics prescriptions and dispensing are increasing continuously; in many cases their use is unnecessary or inappropriate. there is a need to encourage the smart use of antibiotics, to encourage the application of antimicrobial stewardship programs, and to improve the knowledge, attitude and the practice of antibiotic use. Key Words: Antibiotic, Prescriptions, Outpatient, Pharmacy.

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