Análise dos indicadores de qualidade de prescrição de antibióticos para tratamento de infecções respiratórias no Centro de Saúde da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, entre Janeiro e Julho de 2024

Abstract

Respiratory tract infections represent one of the main reasons for seeking healthcare services and are frequently associated with antibiotic prescriptions, although a large proportion of these infections are of viral origin. Prescriptions of these medications become unnecessary, increase the risk of antibacterial resistance, raise healthcare costs, and contribute to higher related mortality rates. In this context, a retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted involving 164 clinical records of patients treated at CS-UEM between January and July 2024, with the objective of analyzing the quality indicators of antibiotic prescription for the treatment of respiratory infections at that location. Antibiotics were classified according to type and class, spectrum of action (broad or narrow), and the WHO AWaRe classification, considering the categories "access," "surveillance," and "reservation." The information collected included sociodemographic data, clinical diagnosis, symptomatology, and the performance of ancillary tests with documented results.

The average age of the patients was 21 years (SD = 13.01), and 52.4% of the sample was female. In total, 53.7% of the patients received antibiotic prescriptions, mainly for upper respiratory tract infections, frequently associated with symptoms such as cough (35.37%) and sore throat (17.07%). There was a predominance of antibiotics from the surveillance category, mostly broad-spectrum antibiotics, especially amoxicillin and azithromycin, and a high frequency of antibiotic prescription in the absence of documented ancillary diagnostic tests, suggesting possible inadequacies in clinical practice. These findings indicate gaps in compliance with the antibiotic prescribing quality indicators recommended by the WHO and national guidelines, reinforcing the need for strategies that promote the rational use of antibiotics in order to mitigate the advance of antimicrobial resistance.