Abstract:
No proper standard guidelines for prescription of antibiotics for neonates are available.
The careless, needless, and overuse of antibiotics has resulted in an alarming increase in
antibiotic resistance, a serious risk to public health. It is necessary to develop and
implement improved guidelines for the use of antibiotics in newborn sepsis based on
microbial aetiology and sensitivity. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to assess
the patterns of antibiotic utilization of neonates in a special baby care unit in Teaching
Hospital, Ampara in Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a
single centered study from October 2022 to March 2023. A total of 51 patients admitted
to the neonatal unit, Ampara Hospital, Sri Lanka. Neonates who were receiving
antibiotics during the period of hospital stay at the neonatal unit were included in the
study. The demographic data, the prescribed drug information and other relevant data
were extracted from the medical records and neonatal unit registers. The p- value <0.05
was considered statistically significant. Males (55%) were higher than females. High
number of antibiotics were prescribed for those born term (39) followed by preterm (8),
extreme preterm (2) and moderate to late preterm (2). The neonates received a total of
123 prescribed drugs and 12190 doses. Among the 13 antibiotics, Benzylpenicillin (47),
Cefotaxime (37), Flucloxacillin (7) and Gentamicin (7) were most frequently
prescribed. More than half of the neonatal subjects have received two antibiotics and a
quarter of them received three antibiotics. The most frequently prescribed drug
categories were Penicillins, Cephalosporins and Aminoglycosides. The total prescribed
drug dose was higher in term neonates (10089mg) followed by preterm (1408mg),
moderate or late preterm (318mg) and extreme preterm neonates (301). Antibiotics
dosing interval was higher in extreme preterm followed by preterm, term and moderate
or late preterm neonates, respectively. Most of the infants were admitted to neonatal
unit for neonatal sepsis followed by Preterm, Neonatal Meningitis, and Small for
Gestational Age. Most frequently prescribed drug categories were Penicillins,
Cephalosporins and Aminoglycosides. Benzylpenicillin, Cefotaxime, Flucloxacillin and
Gentamicin were most frequently prescribed antibiotics.
