DefinePK

Abstract

Abstract


To assess amount of drug overuse we studied drug prescribing for common childhood problems by 65 general practitioners (GPs) and 29 paediatricians. A total of 2433 encounters between GPs or paediatricians and children under five years of age were observed. The presenting complaints were fever in 18%, cough in 9%, both fever and cough in.21%, vomiting in 20% and diarrhoea in 41% of encounters. Antibacterials were prescribed in 49% of encounters, analgesics and antipyretics in 29%, antiemetics in 8% and inject­ables in 15%. Antidiarrhoeals were prescribed in 41% encounters with children reported to have diarrhoea. Ampicillin and cotrhnoxazole were the two common antibacterials prescribed by both GPs and paedia­tricians. Antibacterials were prescribed in significantly larger number of encounters with GPs than in those with paediatricians. Mean encounter time of patients with GPs was 3.4±2.7 minutes and with paediatricians 9.7±4.1 minutes.