ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS AND KAP QUESTIONNAIRE ON ANTIBIOTICS USAGE AND IMPACT OF CLINICAL PHARMACIST IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS IN TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Aim: To find out risk factors, KAP (knowledge, attitude and practice) questionnaire of antibiotic usage, identify incidence of various types of lower respiratory tract infections and the impact of clinical pharmacist in pediatric patients diagnosed with respiratory tract infections.

Purpose: Now a days the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections was increasing day by day in the present scenario. So here we need to assess the risk factors, incidence of various types of lower respiratory tract infections and to know the knowledge, attitude and practice of parents regarding infection control.

Methods: A prospective observational study proposed to be conducted in 6 months, all the patients were administering with KAP questionnaire, and by direct interviewing the patients regarding risk factors.

Setting:  the study was conducted in government general hospital, Guntur.

Participants: the study included 158 subjects who were diagnosed with lower respiratory tract infection.

 Results: Regarding the risk factors we assessed that pre term, lack of nutritional status, formula feeding, positive smoking exposure, low birth weight and incidence were as pneumonia, bronchiolitis, WALRTI, and tracheitis.

Conclusion: our study concluded that type of occurrence of lower respiratory tract infections are as follows pneumonia, bronchiolitis, WALRTI, and tracheitis. our study found that major risk factors are pre term, lack of nutritional status, formula feeding, positive smoking exposure, low birth weight. Regarding the KAP quesionnarries , study revealed the poor  knowledge , negative attitude and poor practice on usage of antibiotics . Preventive measures should be taken to prevent the occurrence of lower respiratory tract infections.