ANTIFUNGAL STEWARDSHIP: MITIGATING INAPPROPRIATE PRESCRIPTIONS IN VULVOVAGINAL CANDIDIASIS IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, CENTRAL INDIA

This study aims to reduce the inappropriate prescriptions of antifungal medications for vulvovaginitis candidiasis in a tertiary care hospital in central India. An ambispective, observational study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology of MGM Medical College and Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital in Indore, MP, over three months (i.e.,12 w from August to October 2023). The study encompassed a retrospective analysis of prescriptions for vaginal candidiasis over a period of five weeks in August-September 2023, followed by a prospective analysis over the subsequent five weeks of September-October 2023post-implementation of interactive training sessions, discussions, and antifungal guidelines for two weeks. From a total of 130 randomly selected prescriptions, 69 prescriptions were perused retrospectively, while 61 prescriptions received prospective analysis. The post-implemented audit showed a marked reduction in antifungal prescriptions with a difference of 12.4%. An increase in the documentation of examination findings was also observed, from 46.7% to 69.7%. This implementation successfully mitigated inappropriate prescriptions of antifungals, with sustained reductions demonstrated over the 3 mo of the study period, emphasizing the effectiveness of educational interventions.