Evaluation of Antibiotic Prescription Pattern in Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Antibiotic prescription pattern analysis in a hospital setting is critical to the sensible use of drugs. To reduce overall mortality and morbidity, rational antibiotic usage necessitates effective clinical and laboratory teamwork. In light of this, the pharmacology department undertook a two-year prospective observational study in collaboration with the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of a tertiary care hospital in Cuttack, Odisha. 239 prescriptions were examined for the rationale and duration of antibiotic treatment. Poor feeding was the most prevalent reason (137) for starting antibiotics in neonates. Ampicillin (91.4%) and Cefotaxime (61.8%) were the most widely utilized antibiotics for both early and late-onset sepsis. The average number of antibiotics used per prescription was 2.5; on quantification, the use of Ampicillin (251.9) was highest in days of therapy. The majority (77.9%) of the patients recovered without sequela. The most common adverse drug reaction (ADR) was increased serum creatinine (2.09%).