Drug prescribing pattern in upper respiratory tract infections among the pediatric population attending outpatient clinics in pediatric hospitals.

Background: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are one of the most frequent causes of childhood school leave and morbidity.

Aim: To study the present trend of medications' prescribing pattern utilized in URTIs among the pediatric population attending outpatient clinics in pediatric hospitals.

Methods: This analytical observational cross-sectional research was conducted in 200 children aged 1-10 years with URTIs attending the pediatric outpatient clinics in pediatric hospitals, one of which is an educational hospital, from July 2018 to August 2020.

Results: Most of the prescriptions in our study included antibiotics (116/58%). The most commonly prescribed antibiotic family was ampicillin/sulbactam or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (53/26.5%), followed by first-generation cephalosporin (25/12.5%) and third-generation cephalosporin (20/10%). Macrolides and second-generation cephalosporins were prescribed less frequently, in 16 (8%) and 2 (1%) patients, respectively. Most of our study population (155/77.5%) was satisfied with their prescriptions, whereas the rest of the study population (45/22.5%) was unsatisfied.

Conclusion: Overprescription of antibiotics is a significant issue among clinicians in pediatric outpatient clinics. Stewardship of drugs, particularly antibiotics, is a must to prevent the development of drug resistance. Most cases of URTIs were treated in accordance with the existing national treatment guidelines.