A study of the prescribing pattern and utilization of antibiotics in Emergency Department, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan

Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs. Because of an overall rise in healthcare cost, lack of uniformity in drug prescribing and the emergence of antibiotic resistance, monitoring of and control of antibiotic use are of growing concern and strict antibiotic policies should be should be warranted. Before such policies can be implemented, detailed knowledge of antibiotic prescribing practice is important. This study focuses on the prescribing pattern and utilization of antibiotics and the appropriateness usage of antibiotics compare to the National Antibiotic Guideline 2008. Our study was done at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) which is the primary healthcare facility. This study seems to be important to obtain the prescribing pattern and utilization of antibiotics in Emergency Department. Ethical approval was obtained from Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC). A total of 1854 prescription with prescribed antibiotics in Emergency Department, HTAA from January to April 2013 were collected for the research.