Antibiotic prescription among children with common cold at a district hospital in Uganda

BACKGROUND: Most childhood infections are of viral origin making antibiotics unnecessary. They are, however, the most frequently prescribed drugs dispensed to children, resulting in inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions, which are one of the main drivers of antibiotic resistance. AIM: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of antibiotic prescriptions and identify its associated factors among children below 5 years with common cold who attend the outpatient department in Tororo General Hospital. SETTING: The study was carried out in Tororo General Hospital, Eastern Uganda. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using consecutive sampling was performed among children below 5 years with common cold attending the outpatient department. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered, structured questionnaire and analysed using STATA version 14.0. Prevalence of antibiotic prescriptions was calculated. Bivariate analysis using chi-square test and multivariate analysis using logistic regression was performed to establish factors associated with antibiotic prescription. RESULTS: The prevalence of antibiotic prescriptions for common cold among children below 5 years was 23.3%. Factors associated with antibiotic prescription for common cold were duration of symptoms of more than 5 days (OR, 95% CI: 4.49; 1.16–17.23, p = 0.029) and being attended to by a clinical officer (OR, 95% CI: 0.19; 0.04–0.91, p = 0.038). CONCLUSION: There is inappropriate antibiotic prescription among children with common cold in Tororo General Hospital. There is need for antibiotic stewardship programmes to promote optimal antibiotic use in primary care facilities. CONTRIBUTION: The study’s findings can be used to develop context-specific antibiotic stewardship programmes tailored to promote judicious use of antibiotics in primary care.