Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Prescribing in a Nigerian Hospital: Findings and Implications on Antimicrobial Resistance.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is a global health challenge. There is inadequate information on antimicrobial prescribing practices in many sub-Saharan African countries including Nigeria. A standardized method for surveillance of antimicrobial use in hospitals was employed to assess the antimicrobial prescribing practices in UCH, Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS: A point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted in December 15, 2017 at the UCH Ibadan. The survey included all in-patients receiving an antimicrobial on the day of PPS. Data collected included details on the antimicrobial agents, reasons and indications for treatment as well as a set of quality indicators. A web-based application was used for data-entry, validation and reporting as designed by the University of Antwerp (www.global-pps.be). RESULTS: This survey included 451 patients from 38 different wards of which 59.6% received at least one antimicrobial. The neonatal medical wards contributed the highest number of patients who received antibiotics. A total of 172 therapeutic antibiotic prescriptions were issued, mainly for Community Acquired Infections (n=119; 69.2%). Most prescriptions for Healthcare Associated Infections (n=53) were intervention related (47.2%). Frequently used antibiotics include third generation cephalosporins (23.9%; mainly ceftriaxone); followed by combination of penicillin's (17.4%; mainly amoxicillin with enzyme inhibitor) and fluoroquinolones (16.6%). Majority, 312(69.9%)of the patients had parenteral antibiotics and only 95 (21.3%) of all antibiotic prescriptions had a documented stop or review date. Although the reason for antibiotic prescription was indicated for 413 (92.4%) prescriptions, targeted therapy was the basis for only 17 (3.8%)of these prescriptions. For surgical prophylaxis, 98.7% of all prescriptions were given for more than one day. Compliance to guidelines was non-existent. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed high broad spectrum prescribing, high number of intervention related health care infections, high use of prolonged surgical prophylaxis, inexistence of local guidelines; and low utilization of laboratory facilities. Hospital related intervention should include development of antibiotic guideline and increased enlightenment on rational prescribing practices.

Antibiotic use among surgical inpatients at a tertiary health facility: a case for a standardized protocol for presumptive antimicrobial therapy in the developing world.

BACKGROUND: Indiscriminate antimicrobial use is one of the greatest contributors to antimicrobial resistance. A low level of asepsis in hospitals and inadequate laboratory support have been adduced as reasons for indiscriminate use of antimicrobials among surgical patients. At present, there are no guidelines for presumptive antibiotic use in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. AIM: Surgical inpatients at the study hospital were surveyed to determine the level of antimicrobial use and degree of compliance with prescription quality indicators. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among all surgical inpatients in May 2019 using a standardized tool developed by the University of Antwerp to assess the point prevalence of antimicrobials. Inpatients who were admitted from 08:00 h on the day of the survey were included. Data on patients' demographics, indication for antimicrobial use, reason for antimicrobial use, stop/review date, adherence to guidelines and laboratory use were collected. The prevalence of antimicrobial use in the surgical department was estimated. RESULTS: Eighty-two inpatients were included in the survey. Of these, 97.6% were receiving at least one antimicrobial agent. Only 5.4% of the prescriptions were targeted, and 37.6% of prescriptions were for empirical treatment of infections. Approximately half (50.7%) of the patients were receiving presumptive antibiotics, and 6% were receiving prophylactic antibiotics. In total, 58.7% of prescriptions were administered parenterally, and 98.2% of patients had documentation of a stop/review date. Metronidazole (P=32.3%, T=29.2%), ceftriaxone (P=28.4%, T=19.8%) and ciprofloxacin (P=14.2%, T=14.6%) were the most common antimicrobials used. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high rate of antimicrobial use among surgical inpatients, and the rate of indiscriminate antimicrobial prescribing among these patients needs to be reduced. This can be achieved by developing antimicrobial guidelines for presumptive antimicrobial therapy.

Global point prevalence survey of antimicrobial consumption in Brazilian hospitals.

BACKGROUND: The inappropriate use of antimicrobials and increased rates of antimicrobial resistance is a challenge all over the world. Although antibiotic stewardship is recommended by the Brazilian government, data regarding antibiotic use in Brazilian hospitals are scarce. The aim of this study was to conduct a point prevalence survey of antimicrobial use in 18 Brazilian hospitals. METHODS: Eighteen Brazilian hospitals conducted the Global Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (Global-PPS) in 2017. The study enrolled inpatients on antimicrobials. Data collection included details on the antimicrobial prescriptions. A web-based programme was used for data-entry, validation and reporting. The Global-PPS was developed by the University of Antwerp and bioMérieux provided funding support. FINDINGS: A total of 1801 patients were evaluated, of which 941 (52.2%) were on antimicrobials. Four hundred (42.5%) patients were given at least two antimicrobials. Out of the 1317 antibacterials for systemic use, 514 (39%) were prescribed for community-acquired infections, 533 (40.5%) for healthcare-associated infections and 248 (18.8%) for prophylactic use. The most frequently used antimicrobials were ceftriaxone (12.8%), meropenem (12.3%) and vancomycin (10.3%). Pneumonia or lower respiratory tract infection was the most common site of infection (29.2%). In general, antimicrobials were given mainly parenterally (91%) and empirically (81.2%). CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of antibiotic use was observed in the 18 Brazilian hospitals. The antibiotics were prescribed mainly empirically. Intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics were the most frequent antimicrobials used, showing that reinforcement of de-escalation strategy is needed. The Global-PPS data can be very useful for monitoring stewardship programmes and intervention.

THE GLOBAL POINT PREVALENCE SURVEY (PPS) OF ANTIMICROBIAL USE AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AMONG HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN IN GEORGIA.

The aims of our study were to determine antibiotic prescribing rates for prevention and treatment of infections in pediatric units, to evaluate the number and type of antimicrobial agents and administration route, reveal commonly used antibiotic subgroups and identify targets for improving the quality of antimicrobial prescribing. A 1-day PPS (Point Prevalence Study) on antibiotic use in hospitalized children was performed in Georgia from 2015 to 2019. 18 clinics in different regions of Georgia were included in the survey. Antimicrobial prevalence rates increased over the years from 60.1% in 2015 to 92.6% in 2018. The most commonly, antibiotics were prescribed for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). In 2015 25.1% of LRTI were treated by ampicillin-sulbactam but the next year it replaced with ceftriaxone (37.1% in 2017 and 38.2% in 2018). In pediatric surgical ward, the antibiotics were commonly prescribed for surgical prevention (54.1% in 2015, 32.3% in 2018). The most common conditions treated with antibiotics in neonates were sepsis (30.1%) and LRTI (45.3%). The most used antibiotic was ceftriaxone (33.3% in 2015). Ampicilin-sulbactam was prescribed in 28.1% of pneumonia case in neonates in 2018. In 2015 antibiotics were mainly prescribed empirically (98.0%). In 2018 resistance of MRSA was 8.1%, and resistance to the third-generation cephalosporin 17.3%. Prevalence rate of antibiotics for prevention and treatment of infection disease in pediatric units increased in 2018. Main feasible targets for optimization of antibiotic prescribing have been identified: high use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in hospitals, high frequency of empirical treatment, rarely performed culture tests, prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery patients and an alarming raise of resistant strains. The implementation of disease-specific clinical pathways associated with annual PPSs could be a good way to monitor and improve antibiotic prescription patterns in neonatal and pediatric inpatients over time.

Variations in antibiotic use across India: multi-centre study through Global Point Prevalence survey.

The aim of the study was to assess antimicrobial prescribing patterns, and variation in practice, in India. A point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted in October to December 2017 in 16 tertiary care hospitals across India. The survey included all inpatients receiving an antimicrobial on the day of PPS and collected data were analysed using a web-based application of the University of Antwerp. In all, 1750 patients were surveyed, of whom 1005 were receiving a total of 1578 antimicrobials. Among the antimicrobials prescribed, 26.87% were for community-acquired infections; 19.20% for hospital-acquired infections; 17.24% for medical prophylaxis; 28.70% for surgical prophylaxis; and 7.99% for other or undetermined reasons. Antibiotic prescribing quality indicators, such as reason in notes and post-prescription review score, were low. This PPS showed widespread antibiotic usage, underlining the need for antibiotic stewardship to promote evidence-based practice.

Longitudinal point prevalence survey of antibacterial use in Northern Ireland using the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC) PPS and Global-PPS tool.

Antimicrobial resistance is a limiting factor for the success of the treatment of infectious diseases and is associated with increased morbidity and cost. The present study aims to evaluate prescribing patterns of antimicrobials and quantify progress in relation to targets for quality improvement in the prescription of antimicrobials in Northern Ireland's secondary care sector using three repetitive point prevalence surveys (PPS) over a 6-year period: the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC-PPS) in 2009 and 2011 and the Global-PPS on Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance in 2015. Out of 3605 patients surveyed over the three time points, 1239 (34.4%) were treated with an antibiotic, the most frequently prescribed antibiotic groups were a combination of penicillins, including ß-lactamase inhibitors. Compliance with hospital antibiotic policies in 2009, 2011 and 2015 were 54.5%, 71.5% and 79.9%, respectively. Likewise, an indication for treatment was recorded in patient notes 88.5%, 87.7% and 90.6% in 2009, 2011 and 2015, respectively, and surgical prophylactic antibiotic prescriptions for >24 h was 3.9%, 3.2% and 0.7% in 2009, 2011 and 2015, respectively. Treatment based on biomarker data was used in 61.5% of cases. In conclusion, a general trend in the improvement of key antimicrobial-related quality indicators was noted. The PPS tool provided a convenient, inexpensive surveillance system of antimicrobial consumption and should be considered an essential component to establish and maintain informed antibiotic stewardship in hospitals.

Variation in paediatric hospital antibiotic guidelines in Europe.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the availability and source of guidelines for common infections in European paediatric hospitals and determine their content and characteristics. DESIGN: Participating hospitals completed an online questionnaire on the availability and characteristics of antibiotic prescribing guidelines and on empirical antibiotic treatment including duration of therapy for 5 common infection syndromes: respiratory tract, urinary tract, skin and soft tissue, osteoarticular and sepsis in neonates and children. RESULTS: 84 hospitals from 19 European countries participated in the survey of which 74 confirmed the existence of guidelines. Complete guidelines (existing guidelines for all requested infection syndromes) were reported by 20% of hospitals and the majority (71%) used a range of different sources. Guidelines most commonly available were those for urinary tract infection (UTI) (74%), neonatal sepsis (71%) and sepsis in children (65%). Penicillin and amoxicillin were the antibiotics most commonly recommended for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) (up to 76%), cephalosporin for UTI (up to 50%) and for skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) and bone infection (20% and 30%, respectively). Antistaphylococcal penicillins were recommended for SSTIs and bone infections in 43% and 36%, respectively. Recommendations for neonatal sepsis included 20 different antibiotic combinations. Duration of therapy guidelines was mostly available for RTI and UTI (82%). A third of hospitals with guidelines for sepsis provided recommendations for length of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive antibiotic guideline recommendations are generally lacking from European paediatric hospitals. We documented multiple antibiotics and combinations for most infections. Considerable improvement in the quality of guidelines and their evidence base is required, linking empirical therapy to resistance rates.

Systemic antifungal prescribing in neonates and children: outcomes from the Antibiotic Resistance and Prescribing in European Children (ARPEC) Study.

The appropriate use of systemic antifungals is vital in the prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infection (IFI) in immunosuppressed children and neonates. This multicenter observational study describes the inpatient prescribing practice of antifungal drugs for children and neonates and identifies factors associated with prescribing variability. A single-day point prevalence study of antimicrobial use in hospitalized neonates and children was performed between October and December 2012. The data were entered through a study-specific Web-based portal using a standardized data entry protocol. Data were recorded from 17,693 patients from 226 centers. A total of 136 centers recorded data from 1,092 children and 380 neonates receiving at least one antifungal agent. The most frequently prescribed systemic antifungals were fluconazole (n=355) and amphotericin B deoxycholate (n=195). The most common indications for antifungal administration in children were medical prophylaxis (n=325), empirical treatment of febrile neutropenia (n=122), and treatment of confirmed or suspected IFI (n=100 [14%]). The treatment of suspected IFI in low-birthweight neonates accounted for the majority of prescriptions in the neonatal units (n=103). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated no significant effect of clinical indication (prophylaxis or treatment of systemic or localized infection) on the total daily dose (TDD). Fewer than one-half of the patients (n=371) received a TDD within the dosing range recommended in the current guidelines. Subtherapeutic doses were prescribed in 416 cases (47%). The predominance of fluconazole and high incidence of subtherapeutic doses in participating hospitals may contribute to suboptimal clinical outcomes and an increased predominance of resistant pathogenic fungi. A global consensus on antifungal dosing and coordinated stewardship programs are needed to promote the consistent and appropriate use of antifungal drugs in neonates and children.

Physical health and depressive symptoms in older Europeans. Results from EURODEP.

BACKGROUND: Associations between physical health and depression are consistent across cultures among adults up to 65 years of age. In later life, the impact of physical health on depression is much more substantial and may depend on sociocultural factors. AIMS: To examine cross-national differences in the association between physical health and depressive symptoms in elderly people across western Europe. METHOD: Fourteen community-based studies on depression in later life in nine western European countries contributed to a total study sample of 22 570 respondents aged 65 years and older. Measures were harmonized for depressive symptoms (EURO-D scale), functional limitations and chronic physical conditions. RESULTS: In the majority of the participating samples, the association of depressive symptoms with functional disability was stronger than with chronic physical conditions. Associations were slightly more pronounced in the UK and Ireland. CONCLUSIONS: The association between physical health and depressive symptoms in later life is consistent across western Europe.