OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the practice of IV to PO conversion and to determine the impact of conversion on the economic and clinical outcome.

METHODS: An interventional study was conducted for a period of 1 year in a tertiary care hospital in general wards. A total of 171 patients were included in this study, where 83 patients belonged to the control phase and 88 patients belonged to the Test phase. The practice of conversion from IV to PO antibiotic therapy and compared between the two phases. Economic analysis was carried out using cost saving analysis and cost burden analysis.

RESULTS: The average length of stay (LOS) was found to be 5.5 ±1.5 and 4.6 ±0.7 days in control and test and the duration of IV therapy was 5.7±1.9 and 2.5±1.3 in control phase and test phase which showed a positive correlation. Different pharmacoeconomic analysis were used to quantify the costs among which cost minimisation analysis showed a cost reduction of ₹ 2020 (26.75 USD) per patient in test phase. Cost burden analysis observed that the cost incurred to patients was decreased from ₹ 1, 45,633 (1928.75 USD) in Control phase to ₹ 31,234 (413.64 USD) in Test phase . The extra number of days of IV therapy found in patients was decreased from 110 days in the control phase to 33 days in the test phase .

CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that conversion from IV to PO antibiotic therapy in eligible patients can result in early discharge and decrease the overall health costs. Therefore, appropriate guidelines for IV to PO conversion should be developed which can promote accurate, uniform, and timely conversion in the hospital.