An Audit of Rational Use of Antibiotics in Pediatric Department Zagazig University Children's Hospital.

Background: Antibiotics are one of the most widely used drugs in hospitals, but they are often misused. The proper antibiotic use improves medication and patients' safety, lowers drug intake, costs and reduces the proliferation of resistant species. Aim and objectives: To determine the magnitude of inappropriate antibiotic prescription at Zagazig University Children's Hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the pediatric department, faculty of medicine, Zagazig university on 1000 children. All patients were subjected to full medical history with stress on age, sex, diagnosis, past history and antibiotic regimen (begin, course, end). The investigations carried out to the patient were recorded. Clinical outcomes after the use of the antibiotics were carefully evaluated and registered. Results: 97.29% of the prescribed antibiotics were of the appropriate dose and 94.22% were of appropriate interval. 68.67% of the prescribed antibiotics fulfill the guidelines, while 31.32% not fulfill the guidelines. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics are Ampicillin/Sulbactam and 3rd generation cephalosporin while the least prescribed antibiotics are Amoxicillin/Clavulanic and cotrimoxazole. Conclusion: Antibiotics misuse and overuse are common, contributing to the rise of bacterial resistance. As a result, the main challenges in prescription of antibiotics are to achieve a rational choice and appropriate use of antibiotics and to recognize their potential problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]