BACKGROUND The analysis of factors that influence prescribing decisions is increasingly important. Antibiotic use is often based on limited evidence and lack of information about clinical decision-making processes is an important obstacle to improving antibiotic utilization. AIMS To compare the attitudes of intensive care unit practitioners (ICUP) and infectious disease practitioners (IDP) to...

BACKGROUND To promote rational drug use in developing countries, it is important to assess drug use pattern using the World Health Organization (WHO) drug use indicators. The aim of this study was to assess the drug prescription patterns at the Medical Outpatient Pharmacy of Hawassa University Teaching and Referral Hospital, using some of the WHO core drug use indicators. METHODS A descriptiv...

OBJECTIVE To examine the problem of studying interruption in healthcare. METHODS Review of the interruption literature from psychology, human-computer interaction; experimental studies of electronic prescribing and error behaviour; observational studies in emergency and intensive care. RESULTS Primary task and interruption variables which contribute to the outcomes of an interruption includ...

AIMS To audit the management of community acquired pneumonia before and after the introduction of a protocol. To determine the aetiology of pneumonia using routine investigations and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). METHODS Retrospective and prospective audit following the introduction of a management protocol. Prospective cases were investigated routinely and with PCR on blood and nasopharyn...

BACKGROUND Tertiary care hospitals are a potential source for development and spread of bacterial resistance being in the loop to receive outpatients and referrals from community nursing homes and hospitals. The liberal use of third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) in these hospitals has been associated with the emergence of extended-spectrum beta- lactamases (ESBLs) presenting concerns for bac...

One of the most important problems encountered by healthcare system is the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. It may result from irrational or inappropriate use of antibiotics. The present study was undertaken to screen rational use of antimicrobials in outpatient department (OPD). Prescriptions from medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology (OBG) and pediatrics OPDs were col...

A number of strategies have been proposed by various organizations and governments for rationalizing the use of drugs in developing countries. Such strategies include the use of essential drug lists, generic prescribing, and training in rational prescribing. None of these require doctors to become actively involved in the management of the drug supply to their health centres. In 1997, in the Ka...