COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Rational Use of Antibiotics in Women: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

Abstract

Background: Diverse beliefs and perceptions on the use of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs have been affecting the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and maternal and child health. Further, inappropriate use of antibiotics induces development and spreads antimicrobial resistance.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate COVID-19 vaccination status and rational use of drugs in women during the recent pandemic.Results: The use of medicines in pregnant (94.1%) and non-pregnant (96.0%) is highly prevalent. Prescription of two drugs (24.2%) and three drugs (23.7%) was seen in non-pregnant and pregnant women, respectively. Only 20.4% of pregnant and 43.7% of non-pregnant women received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine either Covishield or Covaxin. In addition, ‘Watch’ antibiotics were prescribed relatively more than ‘Access’ antibiotics. The most commonly prescribed ‘Access’ antibiotics were doxycycline and clindamycin in pregnant and non-pregnant women, respectively, whereas azithromycin was the frequently prescribed ‘Watch’ antibiotic in both groups.Conclusion: Polypharmacy was common, the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination was less and the prescription of ‘Watch’ antibiotics was more in both pregnant and non-pregnant women. Importantly, there is scope for improvement in promoting vaccination, education on the WHO AWaRe antibiotics and rational prescribing of antibiotics in women of childbearing age.

Keywords: Antibiotics; AWaRe categories; COVID-19 vaccine; Polypharmacy; Pregnancy; Rational drug use