Observational studyBMJ open2025
Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics and analgesics, treatment adequacy and associated factors among surgical patients: an observational study in comprehensive specialised hospitals, northwest Ethiopia.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Inappropriate antibiotic utilization in hospitalized patients in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveInappropriate medication use among surgical patients poses significant risks, including antibiotic resistance, complications, mortality, increased healthcare costs and challenges in pain management. This study aimed to assess the extent of inappropriate antibiotic and analgesic prescriptions, treatment adequacy and contributing factors. DESIGN AND
settingA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients admitted to surgical wards in three comprehensive specialised hospitals in northwest Ethiopia.
participantsAll eligible adult patients admitted to the surgical wards during the data collection period were included in the study. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The primary outcomes were the appropriateness of antibiotic and analgesic prescriptions. To assess patients' pain perception and the effectiveness of pain management strategies, the American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire was used. The Pain Management Index was employed to evaluate the treatment adequacy. The RAND (Research and Development)-modified Delphi method was applied to reach expert consensus on best practices for antibiotic prescribing. Additionally, the national standard treatment guideline was used to benchmark prescribing practices. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics and analgesics.
resultsThe prevalence of inappropriate antibiotics use was 67.5% and 42.2% of patients received inappropriate analgesic prescriptions. Moreover, 51.6% of patients experienced inadequate pain management. Significant factors associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescription included the presence of comorbidities (adjsuted OR (AOR) 3.34, 95% CI 1.88 to 5.92), lack of laboratory tests (AOR 0.26, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.43, higher number of medications (AOR 2.71, 95% CI 1.62 to 4.52) and contaminated wound class (AOR 3.13, 95% CI 1.58 to 6.20). For inappropriate analgesic prescription, pain due to disease (AOR 8.69, 95% CI 1.73 to 4.62), mixed causes of pain (AOR 7.20, 95% CI 1.43 to 6.31), head and facial pain (AOR 0.14, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.39) and an increased number of medications (AOR 2.75, 95% CI 1.72 to 4.41) were significant factors.
conclusionThe majority of the patients admitted to surgical wards were found to receive inappropriate antibiotic and analgesic medications. Prescribers should pay attention to patients with comorbid diseases, receiving multiple medications. Additionally, routine laboratory tests are essential for guiding antibiotic therapy and improving patient outcomes in surgical wards.
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