Drugs utilization trends in ent practice –a review of literatures

Objective: This review was designed to scrutinize the recent changes in the pattern of drug prescription in Ear, Nose and Throat, so that appropriate adjustment can be made for the benefit of patients. Data sources: A systematic electronic literature search of Medline/PubMed, CINHAL, Cochrane reviews and Web of Science was conducted for articles describing Pattern of Drug Prescription in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) Medical Practice. English-language articles and articles with an English abstract that focused on Pattern of Drug Prescription were considered for review. Review Methods: Each included article was reviewed by the author for study design, intervention, and outcome. Results: A total of 7 articles were identified for this literature review, and other 20 articles were taken into consideration for the review. Most of the studies revealed prescribing more than one medication. Most commonly used antibiotic in most of the studies was Amoxicillin – Clavulanate followed by Fluoroquinolones. Also along with the Antibiotics, one gastro protective, analgesic and anti-histaminic were commonly prescribed. Most of the times, Antibiotics were prescribed without culture and sensitivity reports. Conclusion: Review of all the studies showed that more than one drug was prescribed, most of which were FDCs or by Brand name. Also, most of the times Antibiotics were prescribed before Culture and Sensitivity tests, which may be the core factor of growing antibiotic resistance. Creating awareness amongst physicians via Continuous Medical Educations (CME) may overcome this issue.