title: Antibiotic prescriptions for inpatients having non-bacterial diagnosis at medicine departments of two private sector hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, India: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: To present and compare antibiotic prescribing for inpatients among the most common non-bacterial diagnoses groups at medicine departments of a teaching (TH) and a non-teaching hospital (NTH) in central India.
  
  
  
  An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at two tertiary care settings in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh, India.
  
  
  
  The data were collected manually, using a customised form. Complete records of all inpatients, who were >15 years of age and had stayed for at least one night in either of the hospitals during 2008-2011, were analysed.
  
  
  
  Inpatients were grouped according to the presence or absence of a bacterial infectious diagnosis, viral/malaria fever or cardiovascular disease. Classes of antibiotics prescribed to these groups and adherence to the available prescribing guidelines were compared between the hospitals using the notes from the patient files and the diagnoses.
  
  
  
  Of 20 303 inpatients included in the study, 66% were prescribed antibiotics. Trade name prescribing and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics were more frequent at the NTH than at the TH (p<0.001). At the TH a significantly higher proportion of patients having fever without registered bacterial infection were prescribed antibiotics (82%) compared with the NTH (71%, p<0.001). Patients admitted for cardiovascular diagnosis without registered bacterial infections received antibiotic prescriptions at both hospitals (NTH 47% and TH 37%) but this was significantly higher at the NTH (p<0.001). None of the diagnoses were confirmed by microbiology reports.
  
  
  
  Prescribing antibiotics, including broad-spectrum antibiotics, to inpatients without bacterial infections-that is, viral fever, malaria and cardiovascular disease, was common at both hospitals, which increases the risk for development of bacterial resistance, a global public health threat. In view of the overprescribing of antibiotics, the main recommendations are development and implementation of local prescription guidelines, encouragement to use laboratory facilities and prescription analysis, with antibiotic stewardship programmes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Global Health-Health Systems and Policy (HSP): Medicines, focusing antibiotics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristoffer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Landstedt
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Ruxmaniben Deepchand Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India.
authors.forename: Ashish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Global Health-Health Systems and Policy (HSP): Medicines, focusing antibiotics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Global Health-Health Systems and Policy (HSP): Medicines, focusing antibiotics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stålsby Lundborg
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Global Health-Health Systems and Policy (HSP): Medicines, focusing antibiotics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Pharmacology, Ruxmaniben Deepchand Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India.
authors.forename: Megha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007297:Inpatients; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D017149:Private Sector
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotics; India; Inpatients; Medicine department; Non-bacterial infections; Private sector hospitals