A STUDY OF THE PRESCRIBING PATTERN AND OUTCOME OF ANTIMICROBIALS IN INFECTIOUS EYE DISEASES IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate how often antimicrobials are prescribed to patients with infectious eye illnesses and assess the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating infectious eye diseases in the Department of Ophthalmology’s outpatient clinic.

Methods: The study population consisted of 316 patients with different infectious diseases of the eye who attended the Ophthalmology Outpatient Department in a Tertiary Care Hospital. It was a cross-sectional prospective observational study. Non probability sampling method was used for the study. Data were collected in a questionnaire developed by the researcher which included age, sex, symptoms that the patient is experiencing, medications administered to the patient, route of administration of the medicines, dosage or strength of the medicines, daily frequency of administration, duration of treatment, and outcome following the end of the treatment. Data collected are entered in the Microsoft Excel 2016 software. Data are analyzed and summarized using descriptive and inferential statistics, and later presented in tables, bar diagrams, and percentages.

Results: Eighty-one patients (25.63%) had bacterial conjunctivitis, 27 (8.54%) had viral conjunctivitis, 9 (2.85%) had bacterial keratitis, 16 (5.06%) had viral keratitis, 8 (2.53%) had fungal keratitis, 14 (4.43%) had blepharitis, 6 (1.90%) had meibomitis, 33 (10.44%) had stye, 49 (15.51%) had dacryocystitis, 2 (0.63%) had canaliculitis, 5 (1.58%) had scleritis, 44 (13.92%) had episcleritis, 14 (4.43%) had uveitis, 6 (1.90%) had preseptal cellulitis, and 2 (0.63%) had orbital cellulitis. Two hundred and twenty-six patients (71.52%) received Moxifloxacin, 27 (8.54%) received Moxifloxacin and Loteprednol combination, 36 (11.40%) received Moxifloxacin and Dexamethasone combination, 20 (6.33%) received Acyclovir, 23 (7.28%) received Ganciclovir, 8 (2.53%) received Natamycin, 4 (1.26%) received Fluconazole, 4 (1.26%) received Itraconazole, 42 (13.30%) received Amoxicillin and Clavulanic Acid combination, 43 (13.60%) received Cefixime, 4 (1.26%) received Ciprofloxacin and 2 (0.63%) received a combination of Ceftriaxone and Sulbactam. None of the patients were administered Tobramycin (0%). Brand-name medications were prescribed for every patient (n=316) (100%). Among the 316 patients, 92 patients (29.11%) were also prescribed generic names of drugs. The total number of medicines in 316 prescriptions was 439. Three hundred and fifty-one medicines (79.95%) out of 439 medicines were prescribed from the National List of Essential Medicines, 2022. 117 medicines (26.65%) out of 439 medicines were prescribed from the 21st WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, 2019. It was seen that 279 patients (88.30%) had an improvement in their disease condition, 36 patients (11.40%) had no change in the existing disease condition and 1 patient (0.30%) had a deterioration of the disease condition.

Conclusion: Early treatment with proper medicines can reduce severe complications of infectious eye diseases, such as endophthalmitis, panophthalmitis, and blindness. This will establish a healthy society, which will help in increasing the productivity of the individuals thus leading to a prosperous future.