In an effort to eradicate misuse of antibiotics and heighten awareness of importance of accurate and effective diagnosis of infectious diseases, a seminar focusing on 'rational use of antibiotics at primary care setting' was organised on Thursday by Indus Hospital in collaboration with Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (IDSP).
Attended by health-care experts from a diverse spectrum of disciplines including clinicians and primary care physicians, the seminar was addressed by Dr Altaf Ahmed, Clinical Microbiologist, Director Laboratory Services, Indus Hospital, Dr Naseem Salahuddin, Head of Infectious Diseases Department, Indus Hospital and Dr Afia Zafar, Professor of Microbiology, Aga Khan University Hospital.
Emphasising on the need for rational use of antibiotics in Pakistan, Dr Altaf revealed that infectious diseases remain a major source of morbidity and mortality in Pakistan where there is not enough reliance on evidence-based diagnostic methods focusing on laboratory testing for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. "There is a dire need in the country for evidence based treatment methods in resource limited health-care facilities and community based clinics where there is too much reliance on guesswork and an absence of relevant clinical trials."
Highlighting the need for accurate diagnosis when approaching patients with fever, Dr Naseem Salahuddin mentioned that although fever is the most prominent symptom of infections, it is also by far and large misunderstood and mismanaged by clinical practitioners. "The most important way to diagnose the cause of fever is by taking a thorough clinical history from the patient, studying its associated experienced symptoms and performing a careful clinical examination on the patient. Tests and specific medicines, if needed, may be ordered after careful consideration. Doctors need to really start listening to their patients, instead of prescribing tests and medicines randomly that are not only expensive and unnecessary, but also very misleading and harmful in the overall patient management". Sharing her views on the use of antibiotics in primary care settings, Dr Afia Zafar further advocated rational use of antibiotics in the community to avoid development anti-microbial resistance in bacteria.-PR