Antibiotic usage at a primary health care unit in Bangladesh

Background Antibiotics are one of the most expensive and frequently used medications in clinical settings. To achieve a better of antibiotic usage in Bangladesh, a pilot study was carried out at a primary health care unit in Bangladesh. Method The study involved the analysis of treatment records for 150 in-patients at a Primary Health Complex in Bangladesh from January 2009 to June 2009. Results Antibiotic prescription was the highest for those aged 5 to 11, and above 65 years. Males had 20% more antibiotics than females. The highest prescribed antibiotic was Ceftriaxone (30.19%) followed by Cefixime (18.87%), and Amoxycillin (16.98%). Antibiotics were most frequently prescribed for physical assault, general weakness, acute watery diarrhea, acute trauma, gastrointestinal symptoms and respiratory diseases. Two or more antibiotics were used in 8-19% of cases and were prescribed mostly for physical assault, gastrointestinal symptoms and acute watery diarrhea. The average cost of each prescription was Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) 238.50 and the antibiotics accounted for BDT 136.30. The group who received antibiotics paid on average BDT 105.90 more than the group not receiving an antibiotic. Conclusion These results suggest possible antibiotic misuse in some diagnoses and age groups.