Antibiotic Use Evaluation in Genitourinary Tract Infections in Female Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital

BACKGROUND Genitourinary tract infections are some of the most common infections in females. These problems are a challenge in terms of diagnosis and treatment. The present study was conducted to evaluate the prescribing pattern in three of the most common types of female genitourinary tract infections. METHODS A prospective and observational study was conducted on genitourinary tract infections in female patients at the gynaecology outpatient department in a tertiary care university hospital. RESULTS Majority of the infected female patients were in 26 - 35 years age group (31.8%) followed by 36 - 45 years age group (25.9%). The common infection noticed was urinary tract infection (42.2%), followed by pelvic inflammatory disease (32.2%) and vaginitis (25.5%) in infected female patients. The types of antibiotics prescribed for urinary tract infection were aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins and penicillins. The commonly prescribed antibiotics for pelvic inflammatory disease were tetracyclines, azoles, fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, and for vaginitis azoles and aminoglycosides. The most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics for urinary tract infection, pelvic inflammatory disease and vaginitis were fluoroquinolones (11.8%), azoles (11.8%) and aminoglycosides (15.7%), respectively. Oral route was the preferred mode of administration (71%), followed by rectal (suppositories, 17.2%) and topical (cream, 11.8%). CONCLUSIONS Young married women in this urban Indian community have a high prevalence of genitourinary tract infections but seldom seek treatment. Education and outreach are needed to reduce the stigma, embarrassment and lack of knowledge related to genitourinary tract infections.