Prescription pattern of Antifungal medicines in a Tertiary Hospital General Practice Clinic, South-South, Nigeria

Abstract

Background:  The increasing threat of antifungal resistance makes fungal diseases an emerging global health concern. Despite this, there is a notable lack of data on antifungal drug utilization in many low and middle-income countries like Nigeria. This study addresses this important gap by evaluating antifungal drug utilization in a tertiary hospital in South-South Nigeria. The objective: of the study was to describe the profile and prescribing trends of antifungal agents in a Tertiary Hospital General Outpatient Clinic South-South Nigeria

Methods:  A cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted at the General Practice Clinic (GPC), of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria from January to December 2021. Dispensed prescription records from the GPC were manually reviewed. Patients who received antifungal agents were included in the study. Antifungal agents were identified using the World Health Organization Anatomical Chemical (ATC) system. The names, route of administration and use of multiple medications were noted. Data is presented descriptively.

Results:  A total of 25,258 patients were dispensed prescriptions during the period, and of these, there were 538 (2.1%) patients with prescriptions of antifungal agents. The commonest antifungal monotherapies were fluconazole 284 (41.9%) and clotrimazole 183 (27.0%). Among the 128 patients prescribed multiple antifungal agents, Clotrimazole cream and fluconazole tablet was the commonest combination, 45 (35.2%). Oral formulations were mostly prescribed 350 (51.7%) followed by topical route 310 (45.8%).

Conclusion: This study found a low overall level of antifungal prescriptions. The urgent need for the development and implementation of antifungal stewardship programs cannot be overemphasized