Abstract

AMR CONSUMPTION TRENDS IN A TERTIARY CARE INSTITUTE OF NORTH WEST RAJASTHAN: A PILOT STUDY

Shruti Bika* and Dr. Taruna Swami

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Abstract

Antibiotics are truly miracle drugs that have saved countless life, but antimicrobial resistance is a critical Public Health issue that is eroding the effectiveness of antibiotics and may affect the health and economic implications of each and every one of us. World wide it has contributed to the quality of life and longevity. At the first sight of infection we always jump in with antibiotics prescription we do not give the immune system a chance to grow stronger. The surveillance system provided results that warn us to restrict the use of Azithromycin to reduce the evolution of antibiotic resistance, as it has gained popularity after corona virus pandemic. It falls under Watch category of WHO AWaRe classification which has greater tendency to develop resistance. The pilot study conducted at tertiary care center shows that the amoxicillin 500mg + potassium clavulanate 125 mg tablet is a Access category drug which is among the top most consumed antibiotics which show low resistance development risk. The five year analysis report put forward that only two Access category drugs (Amoxicillin 500mg + Potassium Clavulanate 125 mg tablet and Amoxicillin 250mg + Cloxacillin 250 mg capsule) are among the top five antibiotics otherwise mostly Watch category drugs are prevalent so the chances of development of resistance against the drugs are high. The results of this study reflect that the reckless use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antimicrobial resistance hence the smart use of antibiotics is the key to control spread of antimicrobial resistance. Although there are multiple driving forces, Antibiotic resistance is a naturally occurring slow process which is an inevitable consequence of the drug selective pressure. A strategy need to be developed to guide and control antibiotic misuse and extend the life of antibiotics that are still effective.

Keywords: The World Health Organization (WHO), AWaRe (Access, Watch and Reserve), Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes, Defined daily dose (DDD) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).