Evaluation of Vancomycin Utilization in the Medical and Gynecology Wards of Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Background. Drug use evaluation is an approach that focuses on evaluating and optimizing drug use practices to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the appropriateness of vancomycin usage patterns and their practical application in hospitalized patients. Methods. An institutional-based descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study design was carried out among 265 hospitalized patients from May 1, 2022, to July 30, 2022. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. Result. Among the 265 study participants, 60.4% were male respondents, while 86.8% of vancomycin was administered for treatment; however, 13.2% was administered for prophylaxis. In addition, 41.9% and 27.5% of vancomycin were ordered for treatment of meningitis and pneumonia, respectively. The culture was performed for only 17.4% of patients, and 82.6% of vancomycin was used for empiric therapy. Most (66.8%) of vancomycin was given in the dose range of 800-1000 mg. The finding indicates that 57.36% and 39.25% were due to incorrect doses and durations, respectively. Only 17.4% of patients had sensitivity tests. Conclusions. Vancomycin inappropriateness was common with the indication, dose, frequency, and duration of therapy according to the guidelines. Vancomycin was mostly indicated as empiric therapy, even though the sensitive test was performed in a small amount. Given the widespread use of vancomycin as an empiric drug, its utilization should be monitored closely. Therefore, the usual sensitive test is recommended to identify those intermediate and resistant results and to predict the outcomes of the treatment.