Hospitalized patients who are initially on IV medication can be safely stepped down to an oral equivalent drug when the patient is clinically stable. The aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate the practice of stepdown therapy in antibiotics and PPIs and its impact on length of hospital stay. The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital with sample size of 200, each 100 patients for IV PPI and IV antibiotics. Case records of patients who received IV PPIs and antibiotics during the year 2020 were included in the study and Out patients were excluded. Out of all IV to Oral conversions, Sequential therapy was commonly used in PPIs and switch therapy was preferred for antibiotics. Average days of treatment with IV PPI in switch was 2 days and sequential was 2.217 days (p=0.733). Average days of treatment with oral PPI in switch was 3.333 days and sequential was 4.237 days (p=0.399). In case of antibiotics therapy average days of treatment with IV in stepdown was 6.677 days, switch 5.058 days and sequential is 4.059 days (p=0.00). In Oral therapy the average days of treatment with oral drugs were stepdown 5.323 days, switch 4.865 days and sequential therapy was 4.235 days (p=0.149). Length of hospital stay for patients had significantly decreased in PPIs switch therapy (p=0.337) and in case of antibiotics sequential therapy (p=0.001). Cephalosporins and penicillin were most commonly converted Antibiotics. Timely conversion of drugs from IV to oral therapy can reduce the length of hospitalization for patients.
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