ArticleInfection and drug resistance2020
Prescribing Pattern of Antibiotics Using WHO Prescribing Indicators Among Inpatients in Ethiopia: A Need for Antibiotic Stewardship Program.
Article in Infection and drug resistance, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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29 citing papers in PubMed.
- Determinants of antibiotic prescription pattern and appropriateness in paediatric care in Ghana: a generalized estimating equation approach.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- Evaluation of inpatient antibiotic prescribing patterns using WHO indicators in Northern Ethiopia: a prospective cross-sectional study identifying stewardship gaps.BMC research notes · 2026Article
- Barriers to and facilitators of adherence to evidence-based standard antimicrobial treatment guidelines among physicians in Ethiopia: a formative qualitative study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A multicenter point-prevalence survey of antibiotic utilization patterns in Ethiopia: implications for strengthening stewardship programs.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Article
- Antimicrobial Consumption and Utilisation in Zambia: Results from the Analysis of National Data for the Human and Animal Health Sectors.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A cross-sectional evaluation of rational antibiotic prescribing in Kabul based on WHO indicators.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Pattern and appropriateness of antimicrobial prescription for acute respiratory tract infection in primary healthcare settings in Ethiopia.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2025Article
- Integrating procurement, prescription, and resistance data to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship: insights from a public health institution in India.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Antibiotic Usage and Resistance among People Attending Primary Healthcare in Rwanda.Rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences · 2024Article
- Appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing among patients treated for dental diseases in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia: a cross sectional study.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2024Article
- The Appropriateness of Empirical Uses of Antibiotics Based on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Results for Inpatients at a Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Aligning antimicrobial resistance surveillance with schistosomiasis research: an interlinked One Health approach.Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 2024Review
- Assessment of antibacterial drug utilization patterns and antibiogram in infectious diseases: a prospective cross-sectional study.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2024Observational
- Hospital prescribing patterns of antibiotics in Zambia using the WHO prescribing indicators post-COVID-19 pandemic: findings and implications.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Antibiotic appropriateness at outpatient settings in Ethiopia: the need for an antibiotic stewardship programme.Drugs in context · 2024Article
- Ground level utility of Access, Watch, Reserve classification: Insights from a tertiary care center in North India.World journal of experimental medicine · 2023Article
- Social demographics determinants for resistome and microbiome variation of a multiethnic community in Southern Malaysia.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2023Article
- Diagnosis and Management of Adult Tuberculosis Patients Admitted to a Rural Hospital in Ethiopia.Cureus · 2023Article
- Adherence to WHO guidelines on severe pneumonia management in children and its impact on outcome: an observational study at Jinka General Hospital in Ethiopia.Frontiers in public health · 2023Observational
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Abstract
backgroundIrrational prescribing of antibiotics is a universal public health problem, leading to antibiotic resistance. Understanding the prescribing pattern of antibiotics is crucial to tackling irrational prescription. Yet, comprehensive studies regarding the prescribing pattern of antibiotics among inpatients and the need for an Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) are lacking in Ethiopia. This study aimed to evaluate prescribing patterns of antibiotics and the need for an ASP.
methodsA hospital-based prospective observational study was carried out from February 2019 to December 2019. This study was conducted among patients admitted to Aksum University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a data abstraction format generated by World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing indicators. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 25.0.
resultsA total of 1653 antibiotics were prescribed for 822 inpatients. Overall, 52.3% of patients had at least one oral and/or injectable antibiotic prescribed, for a mean duration of 4.2 (SD=2.3) days. The average number of prescribed antibiotics per patient was 2.01 (SD=1.9). The majority (97.6%) of antibiotics were prescribed by their generic name, and all prescribed antibiotics were from the national Essential Medicine List (EML). Frequently prescribed injectable and oral antibiotics were ceftriaxone (24.5%) and azithromycin (12.9%), respectively. Culture and sensitivity testing were not performed in any of the cases. During the study period, 65.2% of key antibiotics were available in stock.
conclusionIn this study, more than half of patients were on at least one antibiotic, and all antibiotics were prescribed from the national EML. However, all antibiotics were prescribed empirically. This result shows that the prescribing pattern of antibiotics in the hospital deviates from and is non-compliant with the standard endorsed by WHO. This study provides evidence for the necessity and a way forward for the establishment of an ASP in the hospital that may help to introduce the prescribing of antibiotics with the aid of culture and sensitivity tests, and to develop institutional guidelines.
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