TITLE:
Surveillance of Antibiotic Use and Adherence to the WHO/INRUD Core Prescribing Indicators at a Primary Healthcare Hospital in Southern Zambia: Opportunities for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs
AUTHORS:
Steward Mudenda, Ronald Simbaya, Given Moonga, Florence Mwaba, Mildred Zulu, Rabecca Tembo, Harriet K. Chiyangi, Pipina Vlahakis, Shafiq Mohamed, Adriano Focus Lubanga, Manal Hadi Ghaffoori Kanaan, Maisa Kasanga, Ngoni Veddie Muzondo, Nathan Mugenyi, Webrod Mufwambi
KEYWORDS:
WHO Prescribing Indicators, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antibiotic Use, Polypharmacy, Surveillance, Zambia
JOURNAL NAME:
Pharmacology & Pharmacy,
Vol.16 No.1,
January
6,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: The irrational use of medicines remains a key health problem in many developing countries. The overuse of antibiotics is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study surveyed antibiotic use and adherence to the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing indicators at the Request Muntanga Hospital in the Kalomo District of Southern Province, Zambia. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2023 to September 2023 at Request Muntanga Hospital in Zambia and reviewed 600 medical record prescriptions which were issued from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 using the WHO prescribing indicators. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.0. Results: From the 600 prescriptions sampled, 1246 medicines were prescribed, with antibiotics making up 86.7% of the encounters. Additionally, the average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was 2.1 and the prevalence of polypharmacy was 61.3%. Further, 17.8% of medicines were prescribed as injectables. Furthermore, 76.7% of the drugs were prescribed from the Zambia Essential Medicines List and 38.9% by generic names. Conclusions: This study found a high use of antibiotics and deviations from the WHO/International Network of Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) core prescribing indicators at the Request Muntanga Hospital indicating non-adherence to the prescribing indicators. There is a need to promote adherence to the WHO/INRUD core prescribing indicators to promote the rational use of antibiotics and prevent the emergence and spread of AMR.