ArticleTropical medicine and health2019
Antibiotic prescription for under-fives with common cold or upper respiratory tract infection in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR.
Article in Tropical medicine and health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antimicrobial prescription pattern and appropriateness for respiratory tract infection in outpatients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Iraqi Parents Regarding Antibiotic Use in Children and the Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Characteristics of adverse drug reactions due to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: a cross-sectional study.Nagoya journal of medical science · 2023Article
- Retrospective Study onAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Antibiotic prescription among children with common cold at a district hospital in Uganda.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2023Article
- Perceptions and reported practices of pregnant women and mothers of children under two years of age regarding antibiotic use and resistance in Vientiane province, Lao PDR: a qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- Antibiotic Prescribing in Connection to Childbirth: An Observational Study in Two Districts in Lao PDR.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, Perception and Reported Practices of Healthcare Providers on Antibiotic Use and Resistance in Pregnancy, Childbirth and Children under Two in Lao PDR: A Mixed Methods Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Factors associated with severe dengue in Savannakhet Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic.Nagoya journal of medical science · 2021Article
- Antimicrobial use and resistance data in human and animal sectors in the Lao PDR: evidence to inform policy.BMJ global health · 2021Article
- Use of antibiotics for common illnesses among children aged under 5 years in a rural community in Indonesia: a cross-sectional study.Tropical medicine and health · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe irrational use of antibiotics has been identified as a major problem in healthcare, and it can lead to antimicrobial resistance, treatment failure, and increased healthcare costs. Although many studies worldwide have focused on the irrational use of drugs, reports on prescription practice in Lao PDR remained limited. This study aimed to examine the patterns of antibiotic prescription for under-fives with common cold or upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) at pediatric outpatient divisions.
methodsOne provincial hospital (PH) at Kaisone Phomvihane and four district hospitals (DHs) at Songkhone, Champhone, Atsaphangthong, and Xepon in Savannakhet Province were selected. Healthcare providers at these hospitals were interviewed and medical records of under-fives from 2016 were examined.
resultsOf the 54 healthcare providers interviewed, 85.2% had seen the standard treatment guideline, 77.8% adhered to this guideline, and 90.7% knew about antimicrobial resistance, while 18.5% participated in antimicrobial resistance activities. Medical records of 576 outpatients (311 boys and 265 girls) with common cold or URTI were examined, 154 at the PH and 422 at the DHs. Although antibiotics prescription proportions were similar between facilities at both levels (68.8% and 70.9% at the PH and DHs, respectively), antibiotics were exclusively prescribed for URTIs (96.4%), not for common cold (4.9%). First-line antibiotics recommended by WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children the 6th List were prescribed for 81.5% of patients; mainly, beta-lactam antibiotics were prescribed (87.2% of prescribed antibiotics). There were no cases in which two or more antibiotics were prescribed. The correct dose according to the National STG was 31.9% as a whole. The difference in the correct dose between the PH (52.8%) and the DHs (24.4%) was significant (
conclusionsThis study demonstrated the patterns of antibiotic prescription for under-fives with common cold or URTI among healthcare providers from two different levels of facilities. Although an appropriate number of generic first-line antibiotics in the essential drug list were prescribed, the dosage and duration of antibiotic use were not appropriate. In order to further improve antibiotic prescription practices, regulation by the government is necessary; this could also decrease antimicrobial resistance and improve treatment outcomes.
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