Research Article Preventive Medicine and Community Health Prev Med Commun Health , 2018 doi: 10.15761/PMCH.1000111 Volume 1(2): 1-4 ISSN: 2516-7073 Prospective study of prescription trends in gastroenteritis pediatrics patients in southern Punjab region, Pakistan Syed Nisar Hussain Shah, Muhammad Yousuf, Hina Javed*, Imran Qureshi and Naveed Nisar Department of Pharmaceutics, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan Abstract A Prospective study to examine general trends of malpractice of antibiotics prescription in Gastroenteritis pediatrics patients in Southern Punjab (Multan) from Children Complex Hospital and Nishtar Hospital Multan survey. 500 children ≥15 years with inpatients were selected for non-probability purposive sampling, classifed on the basis of diagnostic category: 1) Diarrhoea occur in all paeds patients, 2) 459 patients with complaints of vomiting, 3) 324 patients with complaints of abdominal cramps, 4) 421 with complaints of bloating and 5) fever occur in all paeds patients. Chi-square analysis and one-way ANOVA of antibiotics were performed by using SPSS software. Antibiotics prescription trends in: 1) 456 proportion of inpatients received antidiarrheal, 2) 387 proportion of inpatients received antiemetic, 3) 479 proportion of inpatients received antispasmodic,4) 289 proportion of inpatients received TPN and 5) all proportion of inpatients received antipyretics. All prescribed antibiotics (amoxicillin, clavulanic acid, cephradine, cefxime, ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, azithromycin) were statistically signifcant (p value >0.05). Te chi-square value in all these antibiotics were in range from 8.674 to 5.457. During prospective study period, inpatients antibiotics were prescribed for diarrhoea, emesis, fever, abdominal cramps and bloating. 24% paeds patients received Augmentin, 9% paeds patients prescribed azithromycin, 14% received Cefxime, 19% received clarithromycin and 29% paeds patients received ceftriaxone. *Correspondence to: Hina Javed, Department of Pharmaceutics, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan, E-mail: j_hani2003@yahoo.com Key words: antibiotics, prospective study, chi-square analysis, anova, southern punjab region Received: June 04, 2018; Accepted: June 20, 2018; Published: June 23, 2018 Introduction In present world, gastroenteritis (GE) is not a dangerous challenge to the developed countries with growing population of world. But in Pakistan from 1991-2011, the outburst of population is seen in 21 st century, GE is becoming a challenge to be coped as its cases are increased a lot from 15% to 21% [1]. Gastroenteritis is actually the infammation of stomach and intestines which includes infectious and noninfectious causes, presenting a sudden onset of diarrhea associated with or without vomiting [2]. Although GE is a self-limiting disease in the children but its course of illness is dramatically diferent in many children due to variety of factors such as side efects of medication, aperient use, chronic diseases that have diarrhea or vomiting as a symptom, fecal incontinence and food intolerance, unsanitary conditions of food and water in the community and epidemic of GE in that specifc community area [3-5]. In diferent primary and secondary care hospitals, the control of infections is challenging due to improper health care facilities and unavailability of staf and medications [6,7]. In 2006-2007, huge outbreaks of GE were reported in all the zones of Pakistan exceeding 150% than the previous years due to poor hygienic conditions and unavailability of quality medicines [8]. Te consequences of foodborne disease in these facilities were followed by other severe outbreaks of foodborne diseases in diferent zones of Pakistan. Te burden of gastroenteritis is of signifcant importance both from the community perspective and in terms of use of healthcare resources [9]. In Pakistan current management and therapeutic guidelines for the management of acute GE is not properly working resulting in inefective cure rates and increased cases of hospital admissions due to recurrent GE attacks or episodes requiring further research in this feld to evaluate the causing factors as well as cost efective treatment according to the guidelines which will work properly in the scenario of Pakistan [10]. Guidelines must be the bridge between evidence-based knowledge and clinical practice and aim to reduce inappropriate variation in practice, improve the quality of care, increasing the efciency in use of health care resources, as well as recommend novel treatments of proven efcacy[11]. Te treatment regimens and guidelines for acute GE are continually changing and latest developed countries guidelines such as of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence [NICE] must be adopted which were published in 2009 to inform both clinicians and the public [12,13]. Te clinical guideline for pediatric GE was also developed by a team of 13 healthcare workers and 2 lady members in Nishtar hospital Multan, Pakistan. Health economics was considered when recommending treatments so as to ensure a cost-efective use of resources by the team of health care workers still needing a lot to do in the perspective of managing the problem of acute GE in primary and secondary as well as tertiary care hospitals. Te primary care hospitals are only dealing with the minor symptoms of GE and they provide initial basic line treatment. Te secondary and tertiary health care units are responsible for providing detailed treatment of gastroenteritis including supportive treatment. Te present study was aimed at prospective study from Children Complex Hospital and Nishtar Hospital Multan survey to examine the general trends of malpractice of antibiotics prescription in Gastroenteritis pediatrics patients. Children of gastro-enteritis having ranges from 0 to 15 years are included in study while children sufering from other disease are not included in the study. During prospective study period, inpatients antibiotics were prescribed for diarrhoea, emesis, fever, abdominal cramps and bloating. 24% paeds patients