Frequency and Pattern of Antibiotic Prescription for Common Infections Presented in Five Primary Healthcare Centers, Cairo, Egypt

Background rationale antibiotic prescription is a key strategy to control antibacterial resistance. Objectives to measure the antibiotic prescription rate, and to identify the most commonly prescribed antibiotic, and to explore the reasons for irrational antibiotic prescription in five primary healthcare (PHC) settings in Egypt. Method A Cross-sectional study was conducted on 535 prescriptions collected from five primary healthcare centres; and checklists about symptoms and signs of common health problems of respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract for antibiotic prescription was fulfilled. Results Antibiotic prescription rate was (33.8%) and the most commonly prescribed antibiotic was Amoxil (Penicillin) (31.5%). Only (26.4%) of antibiotic prescriptions were adherence to the guidelines of Ministry of health of Egypt. Only (31.3%) of patients had upper respiratory tract infection were treated according to the guidelines where Tonsillitis was the most common URT diagnosis (43%), where only (34.3%) of them took Amoxil, followed by bronchitis (67.2%), where (46.3%) of them took Amoxil (adherent to guidelines). Only (31.2%) of patients had lower respiratory tract infection were treated according to the guidelines. Most of urinary tract infections were found among females (86.8%) and cipro was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic (39.5%). Conclusion Antibiotics are frequently prescribed in primary health care centers in Egypt, and most of these prescriptions are inappropriate. Training sessions for physicians is mandatory to improve their awareness, attitude and practice towards antibiotics prescription.