Introduction: Antibiotics have been used for decades to effectively treat of bacterial infections. They are often prescribed inappropriately and inadequately, thus have become one of the highly abused drugs. The widespread misuse of antibiotics not only increased the cost of treatment but has also resulted in the emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess whether the antibiotic prescribing pattern for upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in the primary healthcare site, Melaka Tengah is adherent to the National Antibiotic Guideline (NAG) 2014, as well as to identify factors related to antibiotic prescribing pattern and to calculate the mean cost antibiotic prescribed.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted within one month of October 2017. Patients who visited government clinics in Melaka Tengah and diagnosed with URTI were recruited. Data obtained were analyzed via SPSS version 20.
Results: 4,115 prescriptions with diagnosis of URTI were included in the study and 710 prescriptions (17.25%) were prescribed with antibiotic. Among 11 Health Clinics, Klinik Kesihatan Tengkera has the highest antibiotic prescribed about 34.4% followed by Klinik Kesihatan Ujong Pasir 32.2% and Klinik Kesihatan Bukit Rambai 28.8%. The mostly prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin (66.2%) followed by erythromycin (33.2%). There were significant differences in antibiotic prescribing pattern in terms of area and types of clinic and no significant differences in terms of patient’s age, gender, doctor’s graduate school and service year. Mean cost antibiotic per prescription of Klinik Kesihatan Bukit Rambai (RM25.30) was the highest among all clinics, followed by Klinik Kesihatan Jalan Gereja (RM21.70) and Klinik Kesihatan Seri Tanjung (RM17.70).
Conclusion: This study showed antibiotic prescribing pattern for URTI in government clinics in Melaka Tengah is adherent to NAG 2014. However, Medical Officers need to specify the indication as well as stating the strep score in the prescription.