Objective Antimicrobial resistance has become a global crisis and misuse of these agents may raise the economic burden of both the health care system and the individual. This study aimed at evaluating the rational use of metronidazole at a tertiary care hospital, Egypt, in which this drug was observed to be extensively used.
Methods Eighty-seven prescriptions were collected from different nine departments at the hospital in this observational cross-sectional study. Data regarding the rational use of metronidazole comprises its indication, dosage, frequency, storage, and drug interactions were assessed and presented as percentages then compared with the predicted threshold values of these criteria. Chi-square test was used to compare observed with the predicted threshold of assessed criteria. P-value ˂0.05 was inferred statistically significant.
Results Results revealed that 58.6% of total cases received metronidazole with its optimum indication. All cases who fulfilled the indication criteria received the drug with the right dose, while 82.4% of cases recieved it with the right frequency. Only 70.1% of total cases stored the drug in right storage conditions and 19.5% prescriptions included metronidazole drug interactions. When comparing these assessed criteria with their relevant predicted threshold, there were significant differences in favor of the indication, frequency, and storage criteria.
Conclusion Metronidazole was shown to be misused, there is a need for optimizing its rational use. Recommendations with proper use, frequency, storage, and drug interactions of metronidazole should be announced to all health care professionals at this hospital.