Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Background: Although cefpodoxime has been studied for use in acute otitis media and has good antimicrobial activity, there isn't an expert opinion study available for Indian patients for this indication. So, this study was conducted to gather clinicians' perspectives regarding the use of antibiotics, with a special focus on the use of cefpodoxime for the management of acute otitis media in Indian settings.
Methodology: A cross sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted to collect opinion among doctors on acute otitis media practiced in India between June to December 2022. Convenient sampling method was used. 
Results: Overall, it was reported that almost half of the respondents with AOM was seen most common in the age group of 5-10 years. Nearly two-third of the doctors surveyed (67%) preferred cefpodoxime for AOM where 67.3% of clinicians recommended cefpodoxime for 5-7 days and nearly 19% of them prescribe cefpodoxime for 7-10 days. About 57% of doctors believed the cure rate exceeds 80% whereas 21% of doctors reported the cure rate with cefpodoxime was the tune of 60-80%. It was highlighted that the cure rate proportion was as high as 73% with cefpodoxime whereas it was limited to 10% with amoxicillin + clavulanic acid and only 4% with both cefpodoxime and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid. Almost half of the clinicians highlighted that the percentage compliance with antibiotics was up to 90%. The clinicians also pointed out that better cure rate (50%), clinical improvement (48%) and better efficacy (39%) were associated with cefpodoxime. 
Conclusion: It was noted that cefpodoxime was the most preferred choice for the management of AOM patients among clinicians. Despite its superior cure and improvement rate among other antibiotics, cefpodoxime was opted for its better tolerability, lesser frequency of administration, improved adherence and decreased gastrointestinal adverse effects.