Antibiotic prescribing patterns and knowledge of antibiotic resistance amongst the doctors working at public health facilities of a state in northern India: A cross sectional study.

Abstract

The aim of the study is to understand antibiotic prescribing patterns and to understand knowledge of antibiotic resistance amongst the doctors working at public health facilities of a northern Indian state. A cross-sectional study among doctors of the civil hospitals of Haryana state of India was conducted 2019. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire from a total of 215 doctors posted at the 22 district hospitals. The response rate was 98%. Doctors (66%) perceived antibiotic resistance as a very important global problem, a very important problem in India (68%) and as an important problem in their hospital (31%). Experience in years was significantly associated with considering hand hygiene (OR, 5.78; 95% CI, 1.6420.3; <i>P</i> = 0.005) and treatment of bacteria as per susceptibility report of the organism (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.310.93; <i>P</i> = 0.03). Surgeons reported piperacillin-tazobactam (17%), cloxacillin (17%), and cephazolin (12.05%) and others (54.2%) as the first choice of antibiotics for infection after surgery. Doctors (52.3%) reported that they started antibiotics 12 hours before surgery; 15 (17%) prescribed antibiotics 6 hours before surgery; and 23 (27%) 1 day before the surgery. Time for stopping antibiotics after surgery, as reported by participants, was 1 day (15%), 23 days (35%), 57 days (44%), respectively. A total of 71 (83%) doctors thought that surgical incision could lead to post-surgical site infection. Findings of study can be utilized to enhance education on antimicrobial prescribing, antimicrobial surveillance, and prescribing patterns among doctors in our settings.