ArticleJAC-antimicrobial resistance2024
Hospital prescribing patterns of antibiotics in Zambia using the WHO prescribing indicators post-COVID-19 pandemic: findings and implications.
Article in JAC-antimicrobial resistance, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of antibiotic resistance of foodborne pathogenic bacteria.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Pooled it
- Article
- Antibiotic utilization in outpatient and inpatient hospitals in Zambia: a systematic review, key findings and public health implications.Infection prevention in practice · 2026Review
- Antibiotic consumption and prescription patterns in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Detection of carbapenem resistance among third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales from small-scale poultry farms in peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia.Access microbiology · 2026Article
- Diagnostic Stewardship Trends and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Bacteria Isolated in Zambia: A Five-Year Retrospective Study (2020-2024).Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Antimicrobial Consumption and Utilisation in Zambia: Results from the Analysis of National Data for the Human and Animal Health Sectors.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Implementation, Perceptions, and Barriers in Zambia: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Healthcare Professionals.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Current status and future direction of antimicrobial stewardship programs and antibiotic prescribing in primary care hospitals in Zambia.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- Antimicrobial Stewardship Impact on Antibiotic Use in Three Tertiary Hospitals in Zambia: A Comparative Point Prevalence Survey.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Antibiotic use at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Zone d'Abomey Calavi/Sô-Ava (CHUZ/AS) in Benin: a point prevalence survey.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- Phenotypic Antibiotic Resistance Patterns ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Evaluating infection prevention and control programs in Zambian hospitals using the WHO infection prevention and control assessment framework tool.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Point Prevalence Survey of Antibiotic Use in Level 1 hospitals in Zambia: Future Prospects for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs.Infection and drug resistance · 2025Article
- Antibiotic use and adherence to the WHO AWaRe guidelines across 16 hospitals in Zambia: a point prevalence survey.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Assessment of antimicrobial stewardship programmes and antibiotic use among children admitted to two hospitals in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2024Article
- Knowledge, awareness and practices of healthcare workers regarding antimicrobial use, resistance and stewardship in Zambia: a multi-facility cross-sectional study.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Assessment of antimicrobial resistance laboratory-based surveillance capacity of hospitals in Zambia: findings and implications for system strengthening.The Journal of hospital infection · 2024Article
- Antimicrobial resistance profiles ofJAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- The World Health Organization Access, Watch, and Reserve classification of antibiotics: an awareness survey among pharmacy professionals in a sub-Saharan country, Zambia.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health problem that is fuelled by the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics, especially those from the 'watch' and 'reserve' antibiotic lists. The irrational prescribing of antibiotics is particularly prevalent in developing countries, including Zambia. Consequently, there is a need to better understand prescribing patterns across sectors in Zambia as a basis for future interventions. This study evaluated the prescribing patterns of antibiotics using the WHO prescribing indicators alongside the 'access, watch and reserve' (AWaRe) classification system post-COVID pandemic at a faith-based hospital in Zambia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2023 to October 2023 involving the review of medical records at St. Francis' Mission Hospital in Zambia. A WHO-validated tool was used to evaluate antibiotic prescribing patterns alongside the AWaRe classification tool. Results: Out of 800 medical records reviewed, 2003 medicines were prescribed. Each patient received an average of 2.5 medicines per prescription. Antibiotics were prescribed in 72.3% of encounters, of which 28.4% were injectable. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin (23.4%-access), metronidazole (17.1%-access), ciprofloxacin (8%-watch) and ceftriaxone (7.4%-watch), with 77.1% overall from the 'access' list. Encouragingly, 96.5% of the medicines were prescribed by their generic names and 98% were from the Zambia Essential Medicines List. Conclusions: There were high rates of antibiotic prescribing, including injectable antibiotics, which needs addressing going forward. It is crucial to implement targeted measures, including antimicrobial stewardship programmes, to improve future antibiotic prescribing in Zambia and reduce the risk of AMR.
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