An observational and cross-sectional study of prescribing pattern of antifungal drugs in a tertiary care center of Bihar

Fungal infections take a toll on the health of all individuals, irrespective of ages, gender, ethnicity etc. But still major researchers have focused on antibacterial rather than antifungal till recent past, when the limelight has moved to antifungal medicines. Adding to the gravity of the situation, is the growing resistance against these drugs. Keeping these facts in mind, this study was planned to delineate the prescribing pattern of antifungal drugs by the various specialty in a tertiary care center in the eastern part of the country. This was an observational and cross-sectional hospital-based study. The study incorporated 218 patients from various departments of the hospital during the study duration that was from March 2021 to September 2021. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS ver 20.0. Results has been depicted in formof text and table. Antifungal medicines prescribed mostly for leukemia and other immunocompromised status. Most of the patients came from the department of general medicine. Majority of the patients had hematological disorders followed by infections. Anidulafungin was reported to have been prescribed most commonly by the department of surgery in patients with solid tumors. Patients with lung infections also received this drug by physicians. This use can be justified by its action against invasive aspergillosis, oesophageal candidiasis and peritonitis and intraabdominal abscess caused by candida species. Ketoconazole and clotrimazole were the least used antifungal agents in our study. These two agents are mainly indicated for topical use The current report will aid in understanding antifungal prescription practices. This will also form a basis for future researches and formulating guidelines for rational use of these drugs.