Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Utilization Pattern of Vancomycin in a University Teaching Hospital in Oman: Comparison with International Guidelines

Mohammed Al Za'abi¹ , Samreen Shafiq¹, Dawood Al Riyami², Badreldin H Ali¹

¹Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacy; ²Department of Medicine, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.

For correspondence:- Mohammed Za'abi Email: zaabi@squ.edu.om Tel:+96824141155

Received: 28 March 2012 Accepted: 10 December 2012 Published: 21 February 2013

Citation: Za'abi MA, Shafiq S, Riyami DA, Ali BH. Utilization Pattern of Vancomycin in a University Teaching Hospital in Oman: Comparison with International Guidelines. Trop J Pharm Res 2013; 12(1):117-121 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v12i1.19

© 2013 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To assess the prescribing and utilization pattern of vancomycin in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Oman.

Methods: A retrospective study that included in-patients at SQUH who had used vancomycin from January 1 2009 to December 31 2009 was conducted to determine the utilization patterns of the drug vis a vis to the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines and the North American Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Consensus (NATDMC) recommendations. Information regarding patient characteristics and vancomycin therapy were obtained from patients’ medical records. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics.

Results: Out of 478 prescriptions for 365 patients, 79.1 % were considered inappropriate, based on HICPAC guidelines. This was mainly due to the continuous use of vancomycin following negative microbiological cultures for β-lactam-resistant Gram-positive microorganisms. Vancomycin was prescribed mostly for treatment of sepsis (27.1 %), followed by prophylaxis against various clinical conditions (20.8 %). Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) practices at SQUH did not comply with NATDMC recommendations on the use of trough concentration in the specified range as a guide for monitoring of therapy.

Conclusion: Irrational use of vancomycin was recorded in this study. The need for a restrictive policy and a revision of the current TDM in the setting are recommended.

Keywords: Vancomycin, Drug utilization, Therapeutic drug monitoring, Infection