Consumption of oral antibiotic formulations for young children according to the WHO Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) antibiotic groups: an analysis of sales data from 70 middle-income and high-income countries

Trend in antibiotic prescription at pediatric primary emergency medical centers in Japan: A multi-center, cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Antimicrobial resistance is a global issue, and implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs in outpatient settings is crucial. Japan has also focused on outpatient oral antimicrobial stewardship programs and difficulties in standardizing prescriptions have led to overprescription in primary emergency medical centers. There is a lack of research investigating the antibiotic prescription status of pediatric primary emergency medical centers and the benchmark prescription rates in pediatric outpatient settings.

METHODS

We conducted a multi-center, cross-sectional study of seven pediatric primary emergency medical centers located in five prefectures of Japan. We retrospectively extracted data from health claims or directly obtained them from charts at each institution and evaluated trends in the antibiotic prescription rate based on the AWaRe classification between April 2016 and December 2019.

RESULTS

Our study included 383,525 encounters, with the most common infectious disease diagnosis being acute upper respiratory tract infection in 93,449 cases (24.4 %). The antibiotic prescription rate during the study period was 7.4 %, representing a decrease of 46 %, from 10.2 % in 2016 to 5.5 % in 2019. The percentage of prescriptions in the Access group increased at all institutions; however, it exceeded 60 % in only three facilities in 2019. The percentage of third-generation cephalosporins varied among facilities, ranging from 1.7 % to 59.4 %, as of 2019.

CONCLUSIONS

For pediatric primary emergency medical centers where antimicrobial stewardship programs are implemented, we suggest 5 % as a reasonable benchmark level for the antibiotic prescription rate. Prescribing the antibiotics in the Access groups less frequently remains a domestic challenge in Japan.

Point prevalence surveys of antibiotic prescribing in children at a tertiary hospital in a resource constraint, low-income sub-Saharan African country-the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program

BACKGROUND

Resistance to multiple antibiotics by several pathogens has been widely described in children and has become a global health emergency. This is due to increased use by parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers. This study aims to describe the prevalence rates of antibiotic prescribing, ascertain the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs, and target improving the quality of antibiotic prescribing in the paediatric population over time in a hospital.

METHOD

A point prevalence survey of antibiotic use was performed yearly for 4 years to monitor trends in antibiotic prescribing. Data from all patients admitted before 8 a.m. on the day of the PPS were included. A web-based application designed by the University of Antwerp was used for data entry, validation, and analysis ( http://www.global-pps.com ).

RESULTS

A total of 260 children, including 90 (34.6%) neonates and 170 (65.4%) older children, were admitted during the four surveys. Overall, 179 (68.8%) patients received at least one antibiotic. In neonates, the prevalence of antibiotic use increased from 78.9 to 89.5% but decreased from 100 to 58.8% in older children. There was a reduction in the use of antibiotics for prophylaxis from 45.7 to 24.6%. The most frequently prescribed antibiotic groups were third generation cephalosporins and aminoglycosides. The most common indications for antibiotic prescription were sepsis in neonates and central nervous system infection in older children. The documentation of reason in notes increased from 33 to 100%, while the stop-review date also increased from 19.4 to 70%.

CONCLUSION

The indicators for appropriate antibiotic prescription improved over time with the introduction of antibiotic stewardship program in the department.

WHO's essential medicines and AWaRe: recommendations on first- and second-choice antibiotics for empiric treatment of clinical infections

The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) prioritizes medicines that have significant global public health value. The EML can also deliver important messages on appropriate medicine use. Since 2017, in response to the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance, antibiotics on the EML have been reviewed and categorized into three groups: Access, Watch, and Reserve, leading to a new categorization called AWaRe. These categories were developed taking into account the impact of different antibiotics and classes on antimicrobial resistance and the implications for their appropriate use. The 2023 AWaRe classification provides empirical guidance on 41 essential antibiotics for over 30 clinical infections targeting both the primary health care and hospital facility setting. A further 257 antibiotics not included on the EML have been allocated an AWaRe group for stewardship and monitoring purposes. This article describes the development of AWaRe, focussing on the clinical evidence base that guided the selection of Access, Watch, or Reserve antibiotics as first and second choices for each infection. The overarching objective was to offer a tool for optimizing the quality of global antibiotic prescribing and reduce inappropriate use by encouraging the use of Access antibiotics (or no antibiotics) where appropriate. This clinical evidence evaluation and subsequent EML recommendations are the basis for the AWaRe antibiotic book and related smartphone applications. By providing guidance on antibiotic prioritization, AWaRe aims to facilitate the revision of national lists of essential medicines, update national prescribing guidelines, and supervise antibiotic use. Adherence to AWaRe would extend the effectiveness of current antibiotics while helping countries expand access to these life-saving medicines for the benefit of current and future patients, health professionals, and the environment.

Strategies to improve antibiotic access and a way forward for lower middle-income countries

Antibiotics have substantially improved life expectancy in past decades through direct control or prevention of infections. However, emerging antibiotic resistance and lack of access to effective antibiotics have significantly increased the death toll from infectious diseases, making it one of the biggest threats to global health. Addressing the antibiotic crisis to meet future needs require considerable investment in both research and development along with ensuring a viable marketplace to encourage innovation. Fortunately, there has been some improvement in the number of antibiotics approved or in different phases of development through collective global efforts. However, the universal access to these essential novel and generic antibiotics, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), is challenged by poor economic incentives, regulatory hurdles and poor health infrastructure. Recently, the agenda of securing and expanding access has gained global attention. Several mechanisms are now being proposed and implemented to improve access to essential antibiotics. This review provides an insight into the major barriers to antibiotic access as well as the models proposed and implemented to mitigate accessibility issues. These models include but are not limited to market entry rewards, subscription models and transferable exclusivity vouchers. Further, global access programmes including, Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, Antimicrobial Resistance Action Fund and SECURE Platform are discussed. We also propose the way forward for improving access in LMICs with suggested measures to improve access to generic and novel antibiotics.

Access to DTP-Based Combination Vaccines in Asia-Pacific Countries between 2019 and 2022

The Asia-Pacific countries are highly diverse in health and economic conditions that may impact vaccine access and uptake. Our study aimed to characterize patterns of health access to DTP-based combination vaccines in 10 countries from 2019 to 2022 using the IQVIA-MIDAS database. The availability, affordability, and accessibility were compared across countries by national health and economic performance indicators using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Our findings showed that the three aspects of access to DTP-based vaccines varied substantially in the Asia-Pacific region, with higher levels in countries with better health and economic performance. Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine accessibility fluctuates significantly in lower-income countries, with DTP coverage rates falling by more than 14% in the Philippines and Indonesia between 2019 and 2021. For availability and affordability, Singapore and Malaysia from high-income groups were largely affected, which may be related to health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (Coefficient = 0.39, p = 0.03). Our study indicates that greater attention needs to be paid to national health expenditure and routine immunization services to improve vaccine disparities and increase the robustness and resilience of the vaccine supply chain during public health emergencies.

Dosage Forms Suitability in Pediatrics: Acceptability of Antibiotics in a German Hospital

Although drug acceptability can have a significant impact on patient adherence in pediatric therapy, data are limited, even for common therapeutic areas. We present the second part of an acceptability study conducted at the University Children's Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany. The study investigated the acceptability of most commonly used antibiotics in a pediatric hospital setting. The researchers used the acceptability reference framework to score the acceptability of five antibiotics based on 150 real-life observer reports of medicine intake. Four antibiotics assessed in this study were formulated as preparations for injection (ampicillin, ampicillin/sulbactam, ceftriaxone, and gentamicin) and one as a powder for oral liquid suspension (co-amoxiclav). All the antibiotics formulated as preparations for injection were rated negatively due to high rates of negative reactions (80%), the use of restraint (51%), the use of extra devices (99%), and long preparation and administration times (100%). The antibiotic formulated as a powder was significantly more well accepted. The study concluded that there is a lack of appropriate formulations for antibiotics for use in children. These findings are important in improving knowledge on acceptability drivers and might help in formulating and prescribing better medicines for children. The study highlights the need for healthcare professionals to have knowledge about the acceptability of different products to select the best-adapted product for each patient.

Nationwide epidemiology and clinical practice patterns of pediatric urinary tract infections: application of multivariate time-series clustering

BACKGROUND

The nationwide epidemiology and clinical practice patterns for younger children hospitalized with urinary tract infections (UTIs) were unclear.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study consisting of 32,653 children aged < 36 months who were hospitalized with UTIs from 856 medical facilities during fiscal years 2011-2018 using a nationally representative inpatient database in Japan. We investigated the epidemiology of UTIs and changes in clinical practice patterns (e.g., antibiotic use) over 8 years. A machine learning algorithm of multivariate time-series clustering with dynamic time warping was used to classify the hospitals based on antibiotic use for UTIs.

RESULTS

We observed marked male predominance among children aged < 6 months, slight female predominance among children aged > 12 months, and summer seasonality among children hospitalized with UTIs. Most physicians selected intravenous second- or third-generation cephalosporins as the empiric therapy for treating UTIs, which was switched to oral antibiotics during hospitalizations for 80% of inpatients. Whereas total antibiotic use was constant over the 8 years, broad-spectrum antibiotic use decreased gradually from 5.4 in 2011 to 2.5 days of therapy per 100 patient-days in 2018. The time-series clustering distinctively classified 5 clusters of hospitals based on antibiotic use patterns and identified hospital clusters that preferred to use broad-spectrum antibiotics (e.g., antipseudomonal penicillin and carbapenem).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provided novel insight into the epidemiology and practice patterns for pediatric UTIs. Time-series clustering can be useful to identify the hospitals with aberrant practice patterns to further promote antimicrobial stewardship. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Factors Associated with Geographical Variability of Antimicrobial Use in Japan

INTRODUCTION

Evidence regarding the factors affecting the geographical variation of antimicrobial use (AMU) is relatively scarce. This study aimed to evaluate factors potentially associated with geographical variability of AMU per day per 1000 habitants in the 47 prefectures of Japan.

METHODS

This is an observational ecological study using the Japanese national database in 2019. The outcome was the defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day by prefecture. Multivariable negative binomial regression analysis was conducted using patient- and physician-level variables.

RESULTS

The study included 605,391,054 defined daily doses of AMU in 2019 from the 47 prefectures. In the multivariable negative binomial regression analyses for the outcome of total AMU, the proportion of female individuals (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] 1.04 [1.01-1.08] per 1% increase, p = 0.021), the proportion of upper secondary graduates going to further education (aRR 1.01 [1.00-1.01] per 1% increase, p = 0.005), and the annual number of diagnoses related to upper respiratory infections (URIs) per 1000 inhabitants per day (aRR 1.21 [1.10-1.34], p < 0.001) were significantly correlated with total AMU.

CONCLUSIONS

In this ecological study, the variability of total AMU by Japanese prefecture was associated with the proportion of female individuals, education level, and the number of URI diagnoses per population. The results suggest the potential need for additional stewardship efforts to reduce unnecessary antimicrobial prescriptions for URI.

Availability of access, watch, and reserve (AWaRe) group of antibiotics in community pharmacies located close to a tertiary care hospital in Lalitpur, Nepal

INTRODUCTION

The access, watch, and reserve (AWaRe) classification of antibiotics was developed in 2019 by the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines as a tool to support antibiotic stewardship efforts at local, national, and global levels. The objectives of this study were to assess the availability of antibiotics as per WHO AWaRe classification at community pharmacies located around a tertiary care hospital in Lalitpur and to compare these antibiotics with the national essential medicine list of Nepal.

METHOD

The cross-sectional study was conducted at community pharmacies located within a two-kilometer radius of a teaching hospital from August to November 2022. A total of 82 community pharmacies registered with the Nepal Chemist and Druggists Association and the Department of Drug Administration were studied. Data was collected using a standard proforma containing the names of the antibiotics classified as per the WHO's AWaRe classification.

RESULTS

Access group of antibiotics, Ampicillin, (82;100%), Amoxycillin, (82;100%), Flucloxacillin, (82;100%), and Metronidazole, (82;100%) were available in all community pharmacies. Results from the watch group showed that Azithromycin, (80; 97.6%) was available in all pharmacies followed by Cefixime, (80; 97.6%), Ciprofloxacin, (73; 89%), Levofloxacin, (74; 90.2%)and Ofloxacin, (74; 90.2%). Linezolid, (24; 29.3%) was the most common antibiotics available from the reserve group of antibiotics. Colistin was the second commonly available antibiotic. The most available antibiotic from the not recommended group were Ampicillin/Cloxacillin (82; 100%), followed by Piperacillin/Sulbactam, (39; 47.6%). There were differences in the classification of antibiotics between the WHO AWaRe list and the Essential Medicines list of Nepal in terms of numbers of antibiotics listed.

CONCLUSION

Antibiotics from the not recommended and reserve groups were commonly available in community pharmacies. The implementation of antibiotic guidelines should be emphasized along with strict monitoring of the sale of antibiotics without a prescription in community pharmacy settings.

PACTA-Ped: Antimicrobial stewardship programme in a tertiary care hospital in Spain

INTRODUCTION

Fighting against antimicrobial resistance is a current priority, and further efforts need to be made to improve antimicrobial prescribing and reduce the spread of infections in paediatric care settings.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective longitudinal study on the use of antimicrobials from the time the antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) was introduced in January 2016 to December 2017 (period 2 [P2]) in our children's hospital. We compared the obtained results on antimicrobial prescribing with retrospective data from the period preceding the introduction of the ASP (2014-2015, period 1 [P1]). The sample consisted of paediatric inpatients who received broad-spectrum antimicrobials, antifungals or intravenous antibiotherapy lasting more than 5 days. We compared the use of antimicrobials in P1 versus P2.

RESULTS

A total of 160 patients were included during P2. The antibiotics for which a recommendation was made most frequently were meropenem (41.6%) and cefotaxime (23.4%). In 45% of care episodes, the consultant recommended "no change" to the prescribed antimicrobial. The final rate of acceptance of received recommendations by the prescribing physicians was 89%. We found average decreases of 27.8% in the days of treatment per 1000 inpatient days and 22.9% in the number of antimicrobial starts per 1000 admissions in P2. The use of carbapenems, cephalosporins and glycopeptides decreased in P2 compared to P1. The average annual cost of antimicrobial treatment decreased from є150 356/year during P1 to є98 478/year in P2.

CONCLUSION

Our ASP achieved a significant decrease in the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and antifungals. The costs associated with antimicrobial prescribing decreased following the introduction of the ASP, which was a cost-effective action in this study period.

Global trends in the consumption of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in 67 countries and regions from 2008 to 2018: a sales data analysis

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To investigate the trends in the consumption of benzodiazepines (BZDs) and Z-drugs at global, regional, and national levels from 2008 to 2018, across 67 countries and regions.

METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive study investigated the consumption of BZDs and Z-drugs analyzed by global pharmaceutical sales data from the IQVIA-Multinational Integrated Data Analysis System database between 2008 and 2018. Consumption was measured in defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day (DDD/TID). The global, regional, and national trends were estimated using linear mixed models. Additional analyses were conducted by grouping countries by income level. The association between consumption and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the prevalence of different medical conditions was explored in univariable linear models.

RESULTS

BZD consumption decreased annually by -1.88% (95% CI: -2.27%, -1.48%), and Z-drugs increased by + 3.28% (+2.55%, +4.01%). In 2008, the top ten countries for BZD and Z-drug consumption were all European, ranging from 63.69 to 128.24 DDD/TID. Very low levels were found in Russia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, French West Africa, and the Philippines, with DDD/TID < 1. The consumption in high-income countries was much higher than in middle-income countries. The results showed that increased consumption of BZDs and Z-drugs was statistically associated (p < 0.05) with higher GDP and increased prevalence of anxiety, self-harm, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

Distinct differences in consumption and trends of BZDs and Z-drugs were found across different countries and regions. Further exploration is needed to understand the association and safety of the use of BZDs and Z-drugs in patients with comorbidities.

Gabapentinoid consumption in 65 countries and regions from 2008 to 2018: a longitudinal trend study

Recent studies raised concerns about the increasing use of gabapentinoids in different countries. With their potential for misuse and addiction, understanding the global consumption of gabapentinoids will offer us a platform to examine the need for any interventional policies. This longitudinal trend study utilised pharmaceutical sales data from 65 countries and regions across the world to evaluate the global trends in gabapentinoid consumption between 2008-2018. The multinational average annual percentage change of gabapentinoid consumption was +17.20%, increased from 4.17 defined daily dose per ten thousand inhabitants per day (DDD/TID) in 2008 to 18.26 DDD/TID in 2018. High-income countries had the highest pooled gabapentinoid consumption rate (39.92 DDD/TID) in 2018, which was more than six times higher than the lower-middle income countries (6.11 DDD/TID). The study shows that despite differences in healthcare system and culture, a consistent increase in gabapentinoid consumption is observed worldwide, with high-income countries remaining the largest consumers.

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and its determinants among outpatient children in 3 low- and middle-income countries: A multicentric community-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Antibiotic resistance is a global public health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where antibiotics required to treat resistant infections are not affordable. LMICs also bear a disproportionately high burden of bacterial diseases, particularly among children, and resistance jeopardizes progress made in these areas. Although outpatient antibiotic use is a major driver of antibiotic resistance, data on inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in LMICs are scarce at the community level, where the majority of prescribing occurs. Here, we aimed to characterize inappropriate antibiotic prescribing among young outpatient children and to identify its determinants in 3 LMICs.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We used data from a prospective, community-based mother-and-child cohort (BIRDY, 2012 to 2018) conducted across urban and rural sites in Madagascar, Senegal, and Cambodia. Children were included at birth and followed-up for 3 to 24 months. Data from all outpatient consultations and antibiotics prescriptions were recorded. We defined inappropriate prescriptions as antibiotics prescribed for a health event determined not to require antibiotic therapy (antibiotic duration, dosage, and formulation were not considered). Antibiotic appropriateness was determined a posteriori using a classification algorithm developed according to international clinical guidelines. We used mixed logistic analyses to investigate risk factors for antibiotic prescription during consultations in which children were determined not to require antibiotics. Among the 2,719 children included in this analysis, there were 11,762 outpatient consultations over the follow-up period, of which 3,448 resulted in antibiotic prescription. Overall, 76.5% of consultations resulting in antibiotic prescription were determined not to require antibiotics, ranging from 71.5% in Madagascar to 83.3% in Cambodia. Among the 10,416 consultations (88.6%) determined not to require antibiotic therapy, 25.3% (n = 2,639) nonetheless resulted in antibiotic prescription. This proportion was much lower in Madagascar (15.6%) than in Cambodia (57.0%) or Senegal (57.2%) (p < 0.001). Among the consultations determined not to require antibiotics, in both Cambodia and Madagascar the diagnoses accounting for the greatest absolute share of inappropriate prescribing were rhinopharyngitis (59.0% of associated consultations in Cambodia, 7.9% in Madagascar) and gastroenteritis without evidence of blood in the stool (61.6% and 24.6%, respectively). In Senegal, uncomplicated bronchiolitis accounted for the greatest number of inappropriate prescriptions (84.4% of associated consultations). Across all inappropriate prescriptions, the most frequently prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin in Cambodia and Madagascar (42.1% and 29.2%, respectively) and cefixime in Senegal (31.2%). Covariates associated with an increased risk of inappropriate prescription include patient age greater than 3 months (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) ranged across countries from 1.91 [1.63, 2.25] to 5.25 [3.85, 7.15], p < 0.001) and living in rural as opposed to urban settings (aOR ranged across countries from 1.83 [1.57, 2.14] to 4.40 [2.34, 8.28], p < 0.001). Diagnosis with a higher severity score was also associated with an increased risk of inappropriate prescription (aOR = 2.00 [1.75, 2.30] for moderately severe, 3.10 [2.47, 3.91] for most severe, p < 0.001), as was consultation during the rainy season (aOR = 1.32 [1.19, 1.47], p < 0.001). The main limitation of our study is the lack of bacteriological documentation, which may have resulted in some diagnosis misclassification and possible overestimation of inappropriate antibiotic prescription.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we observed extensive inappropriate antibiotic prescribing among pediatric outpatients in Madagascar, Senegal, and Cambodia. Despite great intercountry heterogeneity in prescribing practices, we identified common risk factors for inappropriate prescription. This underscores the importance of implementing local programs to optimize antibiotic prescribing at the community level in LMICs.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication consumption in 64 countries and regions from 2015 to 2019: a longitudinal study

Background

Timely recognition and appropriate treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are essential to enhance long-term outcomes of individuals with ADHD. This study aimed to evaluate the multinational trends and patterns of ADHD medication consumption.

Methods

In this longitudinal trend study, we used pharmaceutical sales data of ADHD medication from the IQVIA-Multinational Integrated Data Analysis System between 2015 and 2019, covering 64 countries across the world. Consumption rates of ADHD medication were expressed as defined daily dose per 1000 child and adolescent inhabitants (aged 5-19) per day (DDD/TID). Linear mixed models were used to estimate the multinational, regional, and income level trend changes.

Findings

The results showed that multinational ADHD medication consumption increased by +9.72% (95% confidence interval [CI], +6.25%, +13.31%) per year, from 1.19 DDD/TID in 2015 to 1.43 DDD/TID in 2019 across the 64 countries with marked differences between geographical locations. When stratified by countries' income levels, increases in ADHD medication consumption were observed in high-income countries but not in middle-income countries. In 2019, the pooled consumption rates of ADHD medication were 6.39 DDD/TID (95% CI, 4.63, 8.84) in high-income countries, 0.37 DDD/TID (95% CI, 0.23, 0.58) in upper-middle-income countries and 0.02 DDD/TID (95% CI, 0.01, 0.05) in lower-middle-income countries.

Interpretation

Current ADHD prevalence estimates and rates of ADHD medication consumption in most middle-income countries are lower than the global epidemiological prevalence. It is therefore imperative to evaluate the potential barriers to diagnosis and treatment in these countries to minimise the risk of negative outcomes from undiagnosed and untreated ADHD.

Funding

This project was funded by a grant from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council Collaborative Research Fund (project number C7009-19G).

Assessment of use of World Health Organization access, watch, reserve antibiotics and core prescribing indicators in pediatric outpatients in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India

Objectives

The objective of this study was to analyze antibiotic prescribing patterns in pediatric outpatients in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India, to identify use of World Health Organization (WHO) access, watch and reserve (AWaRe) antibiotics and to identify rationality of prescribing on the basis of WHO core prescribing indicators.

Materials and Methods

Scanned copies of prescriptions were collected from the pediatrics outpatients and antibiotic utilization pattern was analyzed in reference to WHO AWaRe groupings and core prescribing indicators.

Results

Over the 3 months study period, 310 prescriptions were screened. The prevalence of antibiotic use 36.77%. The majority of the 114 children who received antibiotics were males (52.64%, 60) and belonged to 1-5 year age group (49.12%, 56). The highest number of antibiotic prescriptions was from the penicillin class (58, 46.60%) followed by cephalosporin (23.29%) and macrolide (16.54%). Most number of prescribed antibiotics belonged to Access group (63, 47.37%), followed by Watch group (51, 38.35%). Average number of drugs per prescription was 2.66, percentage of encounters with injections were 0.64%. Most of the prescriptions were prescribed using generic name (74.18%, 612), 58.30% (481) of drugs were from WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for children.

Conclusion

If antibiotics are indicated, more number of antibiotics from the Access group may be used for ambulatory children who attend outpatient department of tertiary care hospitals. A simple combination of metrics based on AWaRe groups and core prescribing indicators may eliminate the problem of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in children and may broaden the antibiotic stewardship opportunities.

Impact of Introducing Infliximab Biosimilars on Total Infliximab Consumption and Originator Infliximab Prices in Eight Regions: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess whether the introduction of the first infliximab biosimilar was associated with changes in overall infliximab consumption (originator and biosimilars) and price changes to the originator infliximab.

METHODS

An interrupted time series analysis using infliximab sales data from 2010 to 2020 from the IQVIA Multinational Integrated Data Analysis System for eight selected regions: Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, India, Japan, the UK, and the USA. Quarterly measures of infliximab consumption and list prices were respectively defined as the number of standard units (SU)/1000 inhabitants and as 2020 USA dollars (USD)/SU.

RESULTS

Following the introduction of infliximab biosimilars, overall infliximab consumption increased in Australia [immediate change: 0.145 SU/1000 inhabitants (P = 0.014); long-term change: 0.022 SU/1000 inhabitants per quarter (P < 0.001)], Canada [immediate change 0.415 (P = 0.008)], the UK [long-term change 0.024 (P < 0.001)], and Hong Kong [immediate change: 0.042 (P < 0.001)]. The list price of originator infliximab also decreased following biosimilar introduction in Australia [immediate change: - 187.84 USD/SU (P < 0.001); long-term change - 6.46 USD/SU per quarter (P = 0.043)], Canada [immediate change: - 145.58 (P < 0.001)], the UK [immediate change: - 34.95 (P = 0.010); long-term change: - 4.77 (P < 0.001)], and Hong Kong [long-term change: - 4.065 (P = 0.046)]. Consumption and price changes were inconsistent in India, Japan, Korea, and the USA.

CONCLUSIONS

Introduction of the first infliximab biosimilar was not consistently associated with increased consumption across regions. Additional policy and healthcare system interventions to support biosimilar infliximab adoption are needed.

Metagenomic Insight into Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistance Genes of High Clinical Concern in Urban and Rural Hospital Wastewater of Northern India Origin: a Major Reservoir of Antimicrobial Resistance

India is one of the largest consumers and producers of antibiotics and a hot spot for the emergence and proliferation of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Indian hospital wastewater (HWW) accumulates ARGs from source hospitals and often merges with urban wastewater, with the potential for environmental and human contamination. Despite its putative clinical importance, there is a lack of high-resolution resistome profiling of Indian hospital wastewater, with most studies either relying on conventional PCR-biased techniques or being limited to one city. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed antibiotic resistomes of wastewater from six Indian hospitals distributed in rural and urban areas of northern India through shotgun metagenomics. Our study revealed the predominance of ARGs against aminoglycoside, macrolide, carbapenem, trimethoprim, and sulfonamide antibiotics in all the samples through both read-based analysis and assembly-based analysis. We detected the mobile colistin resistance gene mcr-5.1 for the first time in Indian hospital sewage. blaNDM-1 was present in 4 out of 6 samples and was carried by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in HWW-2, Klebsiella pneumoniae in HWW-4 and HWW-6, and Acinetobacter baumanii in HWW-5. Most ARGs were plasmid-mediated and hosted by Proteobacteria. We identified virulence factors and transposable elements flanking the ARGs, highlighting the role of horizontal gene transmission of ARGs. IMPORTANCE There is a paucity of research on detailed antibiotic resistome and microbiome diversity of Indian hospital wastewater. This study reports the predominance of clinically concerning ARGs such as the beta-lactamases blaNDM and blaOXA and the colistin resistance gene mcr and their association with the microbiome in six different Indian hospital wastewaters of both urban and rural origin. The abundance of plasmid-mediated ARGs and virulence factors calls for urgent AMR crisis management. The lack of proper wastewater management strategies meeting international standards and open drainage systems further complicates the problem of containing the ARGs at these hospitals. This metagenomic study presents the current AMR profile propagating in hospital settings in India and can be used as a reference for future surveillance and risk management of ARGs in Indian hospitals.

Trend of oral antimicrobial use after removal of broad-spectrum antimicrobials from the formulary at a pediatric primary emergency medical center

INTRODUCTION

While the effects of the Japanese action plan formulated in 2016 have gradually appeared, the appropriate use of antimicrobials in outpatient settings is still important. We conducted a previous study to recommend appropriate antimicrobial use via monthly newsletters at a pediatric primary emergency medical center (PEC). As a result, the rate of inappropriate prescription of oral third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) decreased by 67.2%. This decrease prompted our institution to change the antimicrobials adopted from 3GCs to first-generation cephalosporins. There have been no reports on the prescribing trend of narrow-spectrum antimicrobials after the discontinuation of 3GCs in pediatric PECs.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center, observational study at one pediatric PEC between April 2020 and March 2022. We recorded the total number of patients and oral antimicrobial prescriptions, diagnoses, and descriptions of the electronic health records and evaluated the prescription trends and appropriateness of antimicrobial use after removal of cefditoren-pivoxil and fosfomycin from the formulary.

RESULTS

The total number of patients was 22,744 during the study period, and antimicrobials were prescribed to 496 (2.2%) patients. The proportion of amoxicillin prescriptions among total antimicrobials was high (53.4%). For each prescription, 85 of 259 prescriptions (32.8%) for amoxicillin, 161 of 185 prescriptions (87.0%) for cephalexin, and 17 of 43 prescriptions (39.5%) for clarithromycin were judged to be appropriate.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that after the removal of broad-spectrum antimicrobials and achieving a reduction in the prescription rate of oral antimicrobials, it is necessary to evaluate whether narrow-spectrum antimicrobials are used properly in pediatric PECs.

Comparing the effects of antimicrobial stewardship at primary emergency centers

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial prescription rates tend to be high in outpatient settings and Primary Emergency Medical Centers (PECs) in Japan encounter difficulties in implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). While a nudge-based ASP publishing monthly newsletters reduces inappropriate prescription of oral third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs), which requires considerable effort. Therefore, developing more preferable ASP models in PECs is essential.

METHODS

We conducted a three-center, retrospective observational study. Himeji City Emergency Medical Center (Site A) introduced a facility-specific guideline for antimicrobial stewardship with reference to national guidelines. The Kobe Children's Primary Emergency Medical Center (Site B) provided the results of monitoring antibiotics prescription in a monthly newsletter. The Hanshin-Kita Children's First-Aid Center (Site C) did not perform a specific ASP. Prescription rates for 3GCs were categorized into pre- and post-intervention and compared using Poisson regression analysis. The difference-in-difference method was used to assess the effect of these interventions.

RESULTS

The numbers of patients pre- and post- intervention were 177,126 and 91,251, respectively. The 3GCs prescription rate at Site A, Site B, and Site C decreased from 6.7%, 4.2%, and 6.1% in 2016 to 2.3%, 1.0%, and 2.0% in 2019, respectively. Site B had a greater reduction than Site A and Site C (relative risk [RR] 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.62-0.82]; p < 0.001, RR 0.71, [95% CI: 0.62-0.81]; p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between Site A and Site C (RR 1.00 [95% CI 0.88-1.13]; p = 0.963).

CONCLUSION

A facility-specific guideline was less effective than a nudge-based ASP for decreasing oral 3GC prescriptions in PECs.

Financial incentives for infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship to reduce antibiotic use: Japan's nationwide observational study

BACKGROUND

The Japanese government introduced financial incentives to reduce nationwide antibiotic use in hospital settings.

AIM

This study aimed to determine whether the nationwide financial incentives for creating infection prevention and control (IPC) teams introduced in 2012 and antimicrobial stewardship (ASP) teams introduced in 2018 were associated with changes in antibiotic use and health resource utilization at a national level.

METHODS

We conducted time-series analyses and a difference-in-differences study consisting of 3,057,517 inpatients with infectious diseases from 472 medical facilities during fiscal years 2011-2018 using a nationally representative inpatient database in Japan. The primary outcome was the days of therapy (DOT) of antibiotic use per 100 patient-days (PDs). The secondary outcomes consisted of types of antibiotic used, health resource utilization, and mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 5,201,304 financial incentives were observed during 2012-2018, which resulted in a total of 12.1 billion JPY (≈110 million USD). Time-series analyses found decreasing trends in total antibiotic use (79.3-72.5 DOTs/100 PDs (8.6% reduction)) and carbapenem use (9.0-7.0 DOTs/100 PDs (7.8% reduction)) from 2011 to 2018 without adversely affecting other healthcare outcomes (e.g., mortality). In the difference-in-differences analyses, we did not observe meaningful changes in total antibiotic use between the incentivized and unincentivized hospitals for ASP teams, except for the northern part of Japan. No dose-response relationships were observed between the amount of financial incentives and reductions in antibiotic use during 2011-2019.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research and efforts are needed to accelerate antimicrobial stewardship in hospital settings in Japan.

Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Different Hospitals in Pakistan: Findings and Implications

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced antimicrobial use in hospitals, raising concerns regarding increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through their overuse. The objective of this study was to assess patterns of antimicrobial prescribing during the current COVID-19 pandemic among hospitals in Pakistan, including the prevalence of COVID-19. A point prevalence survey (PPS) was performed among 11 different hospitals from November 2020 to January 2021. The study included all hospitalized patients receiving an antibiotic on the day of the PPS. The Global-PPS web-based application was used for data entry and analysis. Out of 1024 hospitalized patients, 662 (64.64%) received antimicrobials. The top three most common indications for antimicrobial use were pneumonia (13.3%), central nervous system infections (10.4%) and gastrointestinal indications (10.4%). Ceftriaxone (26.6%), metronidazole (9.7%) and vancomycin (7.9%) were the top three most commonly prescribed antimicrobials among surveyed patients, with the majority of antibiotics administered empirically (97.9%). Most antimicrobials for surgical prophylaxis were given for more than one day, which is a concern. Overall, a high percentage of antimicrobial use, including broad-spectrums, was seen among the different hospitals in Pakistan during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Multifaceted interventions are needed to enhance rational antimicrobial prescribing including limiting their prescribing post-operatively for surgical prophylaxis.

Parents' Perspective on Probiotics in Preschool Children: A Cross-sectional Survey

Introduction

The composition of the human gut microbiota, which can also be regulated by the consumption of probiotics, has a significant impact on host health. The main source of probiotics can be foods such as fermented foods, yogurts, fermented drinks and/or probiotic supplements. While parents play a critical role in ensuring the well-being of their children, this cross-sectional study is focused on parents' perspectives regarding the use of probiotics in the preschool period.

Methods

The self-administered online survey consisted of 24 questions arranged across two thematic sections. The final data analysis included 102 parents (96% F; 4% M), aged between 22 and 47. Their children were aged up to 6 years.

Results

The majority (52%) of the parents were familiar with the term 'probiotics' and 86.3% were including probiotics in their children's diet at the time of the survey. The main source was probiotic food (36.3%), of which yoghurt was the most commonly consumed (87.2%). The inclusion of probiotic supplements in a child's diet was positively correlated with parents' consumption and level of knowledge about the term 'probiotics'. Digestive tract-related disorders were the most frequently reported motive for the initial introduction of probiotics into children's diet.

Conclusions

Based on our study results, parents are familiar with probiotics and include them in their children's diet. However, an attempt should be made to close the gaps in parents' knowledge that our research identified. Further studies are needed to determine the recommended amount of probiotic foods, as well as strategies to educate parents about the benefits of including probiotic foods in their children's diet.

Ongoing Efforts to Improve Antimicrobial Utilization in Hospitals among African Countries and Implications for the Future

There are serious concerns with rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across countries increasing morbidity, mortality and costs. These concerns have resulted in a plethora of initiatives globally and nationally including national action plans (NAPs) to reduce AMR. Africa is no exception, especially with the highest rates of AMR globally. Key activities in NAPs include gaining a greater understanding of current antimicrobial utilization patterns through point prevalence surveys (PPS) and subsequently instigating antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). Consequently, there is a need to comprehensively document current utilization patterns among hospitals across Africa coupled with ASP studies. In total, 33 PPS studies ranging from single up to 18 hospitals were documented from a narrative review with typically over 50% of in-patients prescribed antimicrobials, up to 97.6% in Nigeria. The penicillins, ceftriaxone and metronidazole, were the most prescribed antibiotics. Appreciable extended prescribing of antibiotics up to 6 days or more post-operatively was seen across Africa to prevent surgical site infections. At least 19 ASPs have been instigated across Africa in recent years to improve future prescribing utilizing a range of prescribing indicators. The various findings resulted in a range of suggested activities that key stakeholders, including governments and healthcare professionals, should undertake in the short, medium and long term to improve future antimicrobial prescribing and reduce AMR across Africa.

Recurrent Antibiotic Use in Kentucky Children With 6 Years of Continuous Medicaid Enrollment

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the distribution of antibiotic use in individual children over time. The amoxicillin index is a recently proposed metric to assess first-line antibiotic prescribing to children.

METHODS

We constructed a cohort of continuously enrolled Medicaid children using enrollment claims from 2012 to 2017. Pharmacy claims were used to identify antibiotic prescription data.

RESULTS

Among 169 724 children with 6 years of Medicaid enrollment, 10 804 (6.4%) had no antibiotic prescription claims during the study period; 43 473 (25.6%) had 1-3 antibiotics; 34 318 (20.2%) had 4-6 antibiotics; 30 994 (18.3%) had 7-10; 35 018 (20.6%) had 11-20; and 15 117 (8.9%) children had more than 20 antibiotic prescriptions. Overall, the population had a median total of 6 antibiotic prescriptions during the study period, but use was higher in certain patient groups: younger age (8 antibiotic fills over the 6-year period, [IQR 4-14]), White children (7 [IQR 3-13], compared to 3 [IQR 1-6] in Black children), rural settings (9 [IQR 4-15]) and chronic conditions (8 [IQR 4-15]). Higher-use groups also had lower rates of amoxicillin fills, reported as amoxicillin indices.

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic use is common among most children insured by Kentucky Medicaid. A number of fills over time were higher in younger children, and in White children, children living in rural settings and children with chronic conditions. Patients with higher recurrent antibiotic use are important targets for designing high-impact antibiotic stewardship efforts.

Antibiotic prescribing patterns at children's outpatient departments of primary care institutions in Southwest China

BACKGROUND

Inappropriate use of antibiotics in children is common in many countries. The purpose of the study was to explore patterns of antibiotic prescribing in children's outpatient clinics in primary care institutions in a province of southwest China.

METHODS

We obtained electronic prescription data from 75 primary care institutions in Guizhou province in 2020. The classification of incorrect spectrum of antibiotics, unnecessary use and combined use of antibiotics was based on the Guiding Principle of Clinical Use of Antibiotics (2015, China) and guidelines from the USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Potential risk factors for inappropriate use of antibiotics were identified using bivariate analyses. The generalized estimation equation was used to identify independent predictors of inappropriate use of antibiotics.

RESULTS

A total of 158,267 antibiotic prescriptions were retrieved. Acute upper respiratory tract infections were the most common diseases, accounting for 74.9% of all prescriptions. The main antibiotic group used was penicillins (63.7%), followed by cephalosporins (18.8%). Of 137,284 visits, 18.3% of antibiotic prescriptions were appropriate and the percentage of unnecessary use, incorrect spectrum of antibiotics and combined use of antibiotics was 76.9, 2.4 and 2.4%, respectively. Physicians with lower professional titles and more than 40 years of work duration were relatively more likely to prescribe inappropriate antibiotics.

CONCLUSION

The inappropriate use of antibiotics in children is still prominent in primary care institutions of southwest China. The education and training of physicians and caregivers in these institutions should be strengthened.

The consequence of financial incentives for not prescribing antibiotics: a Japan's nationwide quasi-experiment

BACKGROUND

For addressing antibiotic overuse, Japan designed a health care policy in which eligible medical facilities could claim a financial reward when antibiotics were not prescribed for early-stage respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. The policy was introduced in a pilot manner in paediatric clinics in April 2018.

METHODS

We conducted a quasi-experimental, propensity score-matched, difference-in-differences (DID) design to determine whether the nationwide financial incentives for appropriate non-prescribing of antibiotics as antimicrobial stewardship [800 JPY (≈7.3 US D) per case] were associated with changes in prescription patterns, including antibiotics, and health care use in routine paediatric health care settings at a national level. Data consisted of 9 253 261 cases of infectious diseases in 553 138 patients treated at 10 180 eligible or ineligible facilities.

RESULTS

A total of 2959 eligible facilities claimed 316 770 cases for financial incentives and earned 253 million JPY (≈2.29 million USD). Compared with ineligible facilities, the introduction of financial incentives in the eligible facilities was associated with an excess reduction in antibiotic prescriptions [DID estimate, -228.6 days of therapy (DOTs) per 1000 cases (95% CI, -272.4 to -184.9), which corresponded to a relative reduction of 17.8% (95% CI, 14.8 to 20.7)]. The introduction was also associated with excess reductions in drugs for respiratory symptoms [DID estimates, -256.9 DOTs per 1000 cases (95% CI, -379.3 to -134.5)] and antihistamines [DID estimate, -198.5 DOTs per 1000 cases (95% CI, -282.1 to -114.9)]. There was no excess in out-of-hour visits [DID estimate, -4.43 events per 1000 cases (95% CI, -12.8 to 3.97)] or hospitalizations [DID estimate, -0.08 events per 1000 cases (95% CI, -0.48 to 0.31)].

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that financial incentives to medical facilities for not prescribing antibiotics were associated with reductions in prescriptions for antibiotics without adverse health care consequences. Japan's new health policy provided us with policy options for immediately reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions by relatively small financial incentives.

Trends in the hospital-sector consumption of the WHO AWaRe Reserve group antibiotics in EU/EEA countries and the United Kingdom, 2010 to 2018

BackgroundIn 2019, the World Health Organization published the 21st Model list of Essential Medicines and updated the Access, Watch Reserve (AWaRe) antibiotics classification to improve metrics and indicators for antibiotic stewardship activities. Reserve antibiotics are regarded as last-resort treatment options.AimWe investigated hospital-sector consumption quantities and trends of Reserve group antibiotics in European Union/European Economic Area countries and the United Kingdom (EU/EEA/UK).MethodsHospital-sector antimicrobial consumption data for 2010-2018 were obtained from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Antibacterials' consumption for systemic use (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification (ATC) group J01) were included in the analysis and expressed as defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 inhabitants per day. We defined reserve antibiotics as per AWaRe classification and applied linear regression to analyse trends in consumption of reserve antibiotics throughout the study period.ResultsEU/EEA/UK average hospital-sector reserve-antibiotic consumption increased from 0.017 to 0.050 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day over the study period (p = 0.002). This significant increase concerned 15 countries. In 2018, four antibiotics (tigecycline, colistin, linezolid and daptomycin) constituted 91% of the consumption. Both absolute and relative (% of total hospital sector) consumption of reserve antibiotics varied considerably (up to 42-fold) between countries (from 0.004 to 0.155 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day and from 0.2% to 9.3%, respectively).ConclusionAn increasing trend in reserve antibiotic consumption was found in Europe. The substantial variation between countries may reflect the burden of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Our results could guide national actions or optimisation of reserve antibiotic use.

A national, multicentre web-based point prevalence survey of antimicrobial use in community healthcare centres across South Africa and the implications

OBJECTIVE

Up to 90% of antimicrobials globally are prescribed and dispensed in ambulatory care. However, there are considerable gaps regarding the extent and rationale for their use especially in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa. Point prevalent surveys (PPS) are useful to determine current prescribing patterns, identify targets for quality improvement and evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) within institutions. Consequently, the objective of this study was to undertake a PPS within community healthcare centers (CHCs) in South Africa given their importance to the public healthcare system. The findings will be used to provide guidance on future interventions to improve antimicrobial use in South Africa and wider.

METHODS

A PPS of antimicrobial consumption was undertaken among patients attending 18 CHCs in South Africa. A web-based application was used to record the utilization data, with utilization assessed against World Health Organization (WHO) and South African guidelines.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of antimicrobial use amongst patients attending the CHCs was 21.5% (420 of 1958 patients). This included one or more antimicrobials per patient. The most frequently prescribed antimicrobials were amoxicillin (32.9%), isoniazide (11.3%) and a combination of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide and ethambutol (Rifafour®) (10.5%), with the majority from the WHO Access list of antibiotics. There was high adherence to guidelines (93.4%). The most common indication for antibiotics were ear, nose and throat infections (22.8%), with no culture results recorded in patients' files.

CONCLUSIONS

It's encouraging to see high adherence to South African guidelines when antimicrobials were prescribed, with the majority taken from the WHO Access list. However, there were concerns with appreciable prescribing of antimicrobials for upper respiratory tract infections that are essentially viral in origin, and a lack of microbiological testing. The establishment of ASPs can help address identified concerns through designing and implementing appropriate interventions.

Monoclonal antibodies and Fc-fusion protein biologic medicines: A multinational cross-sectional investigation of accessibility and affordability in Asia Pacific regions between 2010 and 2020

BACKGROUND

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) and Fc-fusion protein (FcP) are highly effective therapeutic biologics. We aimed to analyse consumption and expenditure trends in 14 Asia-Pacific countries/regions (APAC) and three benchmark countries (the UK, Canada, and the US).

METHODS

We analysed 440 mAb and FcP biological products using the IQVIA-MIDAS global sales database. For each year between 2010 and 2020 inclusive, we used standard units (SU) sold per 1000 population and manufacture level price (standardised in 2019 US dollars) to evaluate consumption (accessibility) and expenditure (affordability). Changes of consumption and expenditure were estimated using compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Correlations between consumption, country's economic and health performance indicators were measured using Spearman correlation coefficient.

FINDINGS

Between 2010 and 2020, CAGRs of consumption in each region ranged from 7% to 34% and the CAGRs of expenditure ranged from 9% to 31%. The median consumption of biologics was extremely low in lower-middle-income economies (0·29 SU/1000 population) compared with upper-middle-income economies (1·20), high-income economies (40·94) and benchmark countries (109·55), although the median CAGRs of biologics consumption in lower-middle-income economies (31%) was greater than upper-middle-income (14%), high-income economies (13%) and benchmark countries (9%). Consumption was correlated with GDP per capita [Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (r) = 0·75, p < 0·001], health expenditure as a percentage of total (r = 0·83, p < 0·001) and medical doctors' density (r = 0·85, p < 0·001).

INTERPRETATION

There have been significant increases in mAb and FcP biologics consumption and expenditure, however accessibility of biological medicines remains unequal and is largely correlated with country's income level.

FUNDING

This research was funded by NHMRC Project Grant GNT1157506 and GNT1196900; Enhanced Start-up Fund for new academic staff and Internal Research Fund, Department of Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong.

Assessment of Factors Associated With Community-Acquired Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Urinary Tract Infections in France

IMPORTANCE

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli is considered a leading pathogen contributing to the global burden of antimicrobial resistance.

OBJECTIVE

To better understand factors associated with the heterogeneity of community-acquired ESBL-producing E coli urinary tract infections (UTIs) in France.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study performed from January 1 to December 31, 2021, was based on data collected via PRIMO (Surveillance and Prevention of Antimicrobial Resistance in Primary Care and Nursing Homes), a nationwide clinical laboratory surveillance system in France. Strains of E coli isolated from community urine samples from January 1 to December 31, 2019, from 59 administrative departments of metropolitan France were included.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Quasi-Poisson regression models were used to assess the associations between several ecological factors available on government and administration websites between 2010 and 2020 (demographic population structure, living conditions, baseline health care services, antibiotic consumptions, economic indicators, animal farming density, and environmental characteristics) and the number of ESBL-producing E coli strains isolated from urine samples of individuals with community-acquired UTI in 2019.

RESULTS

Among 444 281 E coli isolates from urine samples tested in 1013 laboratories, the mean prevalence of ESBL-producing E coli was 3.0% (range, 1.4%-8.8%). In an adjusted model, the number of community-acquired ESBL-producing E coli UTIs in each department was positively associated with the percentage of children younger than 5 years (adjusted β1 coefficient, 0.112 [95% CI, 0.040-0.185]; P = .004), overcrowded households (adjusted β1 coefficient, 0.049 [95% CI, 0.034 to 0.062]; P < .001), consumption of fluoroquinolones (adjusted β1 coefficient, 0.002 [95% CI, 0.001-0.002]; P < .001), and tetracyclines (adjusted β1 coefficient, 0.0002 [0.00004 to 0.00039]; P = .02), and poultry density (adjusted β1 coefficient, 0.0001 [95% CI, 0.0001-0.0002]; P < .001). The social deprivation index (adjusted β1 coefficient, -0.115 [95% CI, -0.165 to -0.064]; P < .001) and the proportion of water surface area (adjusted β1 coefficient, -0.052 [-0.081 to -0.024]; P = .001) were negatively associated with a higher number of community-acquired ESBL-producing E coli UTIs.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that multiple human health, animal health, and environmental factors are associated with the occurence of community-acquired ESBL E coli UTI. Strategies to mitigate ESBL in the community should follow the One Health approach and address the role played by fluoroquinolones, tetracycline use, poultry density, overcrowded households, and preschool-aged children.

Barriers to rational antibiotic prescription in Iran: a descriptive qualitative study

Introduction

Rational antibiotic prescription (RAP) refers to the purposeful and appropriate antibiotic prescription with correct dose and course to produce the most possible benefits and less possible side effects. Identification and management of the barriers to RAP can help promote RAP. The aim of the study was to explore the barriers to RAP in Iran.

Methods

This descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2021 on 46 physicians (including general physicians, specialists, and subspecialists), pharmacologists, microbiologists, and nurses. Participants were purposefully selected from five specialty and subspecialty hospitals in Isfahan, Iran, and the Treatment Administration of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and were analyzed via conventional content analysis.

Results

The barriers to RAP in Iran came into sixteen subcategories and four main categories, namely physicians’ limited professional competence (with six subcategories), poor informational and functional resources (with four subcategories), ineffective supervision of RAP (with three subcategories), and inappropriate context for RAP (with three subcategories). The subcategories of these categories were physicians’ limited professional knowledge, physicians’ poor attitude towards RAP, physicians’ routine-based practice instead of evidence-based practice, physicians’ limited accountability, physicians’ fear over the legal consequences of not prescribing antibiotics, physicians’ financial motives, limited access to quality educational materials, poor in-service training for physicians, lack of culturally appropriate guidelines, inefficiency of the stewardship committee, limited supervision of physicians’ performance, ineffective managerial supervision, limited supervision of sampling for antimicrobial susceptibility testing, sociocultural factors contributing to irrational antibiotic prescription, poor adherence of insurance companies to their financial commitments, and financial incentives of pharmaceutical companies for physicians.

Conclusion

The barriers to RAP are different and complex and include physician-related, resource-related, supervision-related, and contextual factors. Physicians with limited professional competence, limited access to resources, and limited supervision will have problems in RAP. Effective management of the barriers to RAP can promote RAP and minimize irrational antibiotic prescription and its consequences, chiefly antimicrobial resistance.

Global Consumption Trend of Antifungal Agents in Humans From 2008 to 2018: Data From 65 Middle- and High-Income Countries

Background

Understanding the trend of global antifungal agent consumption could assist with identification of global healthcare policy inadequacies and promote accessibility and availability of antifungal agents.

Methods

Using pharmaceutical sales data from the IQVIA-multinational integrated data analysis system database, we assessed use of systemic antifungal agents in humans in 27 middle- and 38 high-income countries from 2008 through 2018.

Results

Consumption of systemic antifungal agents increased from 0.50 (in 2008) to 0.92 defined daily dose (DDD)/1000 inhabitants/day (in 2018), with a compound annual growth rate of 6.2%. High-income countries remain major consumers of antifungal agents with large variance in quantities consumed, with a gradual decline in consumption in recent years. Consumption in middle-income countries increased. Itraconazole (0.32 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day), terbinafine (0.30 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day), and fluconazole (0.23 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day) were the most commonly used antifungal agents in middle- and high-income countries in 2018. Following incorporation into the World Health Organization Essential Medicines List, itraconazole consumption in middle-income countries surged. Consumption of ketoconazole slowly declined, with 5.04% annual decrease, probably due to labelling changes in 2013 to reflect hepatotoxicity concerns. The use of polyenes (0.004 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day) and echinocandins (0.003 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day) were lowest among all the antifungal drug classes.

Conclusion

Global consumption of triazoles and terbinafine has gradually increased in middle- and high-income countries. Life-saving antifungal agents, including echinocandins and polyenes, are available only parenterally and may be underutilized, mainly in middle-income countries. Future research on country-specific epidemiology is warranted to guide health policy coordination to ensure equitable access to appropriate use of antifungal agents.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40265-022-01751-x.

Antimicrobial Utilization among Neonates and Children: A Multicenter Point Prevalence Study from Leading Children’s Hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) compromises global health due to the associated morbidity, mortality, and costs. The inappropriate use of antimicrobial agents is a prime driver of AMR. Consequently, it is imperative to gain a greater understanding of current utilization patterns especially in high-risk groups including neonates and children. A point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted among three tertiary care children’s hospitals in the Punjab province using the World Health Organization (WHO) methodology. Antibiotic use was documented according to the WHO AWaRe classification. Out of a total of 1576 neonates and children, 1506 were prescribed antibiotics on the day of the survey (prevalence = 95.5%), with an average of 1.9 antibiotics per patient. The majority of antibiotics were prescribed in the medical ward (75%), followed by surgical ward (12.8%). Furthermore, 56% of antibiotics were prescribed prophylactically, with most of the antibiotics (92.3%) administered via the parenteral route. The top three indications for antibiotics were respiratory tract infections (34.8%), gastrointestinal infections (15.8%), and prophylaxis for medical problems (14.3%). The three most common antibiotics prescribed were ceftriaxone (25.8%), amikacin (9.2%), and vancomycin (7.9%). Overall, 76.6% of the prescribed antibiotics were from Watch category followed by 21.6% from the Access group. There was a very high prevalence of antibiotic use among hospitalized neonates and children in this study. Urgent measures are needed to engage all the stakeholders to formulate effective ASPs in Pakistan, especially surrounding Watch antibiotics.

Effectiveness of an enhanced antibiotic stewardship programme amongst paediatric patients in a tertiary hospital in Vietnam

BACKGROUND

In 2016, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health promoted development of antimicrobial stewardship for hospitals.

AIM

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the enhanced antibiotic stewardship programme (ASP) compared to the original ASP amongst paediatric patients at a tertiary hospital for infectious diseases in Vietnam.

METHODS

We conducted an interrupted time series analysis to examine antibiotic use in paediatric patients aged 0 to 17 years admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City from April 2016 to March 2020. Outcomes measured were defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1000 patient-days; antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient-days; percentage of antibiotic use by the WHO Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) system; Access-to-Watch ratio; and worse clinical outcomes at discharge.

FINDINGS

Of 60,172 admissions during the study period, 28,019 received at least one antibiotic (46.6%) during hospital stay. The Watch antibiotics were the most commonly prescribed (78.1% of total antibiotic courses). The enhanced ASP did not improve antibiotic prescribing by DDDs per 1000 patient-days (RR: 1.05, 95%CI: 0.94-1.17) and DOT per 1000 patient-days (RR: 1.11, 95%CI: 0.99-1.25) compared to the original ASP. However, the percentage of Access antibiotics prescribed, and the Access-to-Watch ratio increased after the enhanced ASP (RR: 1.73, 95%CI: 1.38-2.17). There was no significant difference in worse clinical outcomes at discharge between the original and enhanced ASP (RR: 1.25, 95%CI: 0.78-2.00).

CONCLUSION

The enhanced ASP had modest impact on antibiotic consumption in paediatric population despite the improvement of Access antibiotic use and the Access-to-Watch ratio.

Co-Infections, Secondary Infections, and Antimicrobial Use in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 during the First Five Waves of the Pandemic in Pakistan; Findings and Implications

Background: COVID-19 patients are typically prescribed antibiotics empirically despite concerns. There is a need to evaluate antibiotic use among hospitalized COVID-19 patients during successive pandemic waves in Pakistan alongside co-infection rates. Methods: A retrospective review of patient records among five tertiary care hospitals during successive waves was conducted. Data were collected from confirmed COVID-19 patients during the first five waves. Results: 3221 patients were included. The majority were male (51.53%), residents from urban areas (56.35%) and aged >50 years (52.06%). Cough, fever and a sore throat were the clinical symptoms in 20.39%, 12.97% and 9.50% of patients, respectively. A total of 23.62% of COVID-19 patients presented with typically mild disease and 45.48% presented with moderate disease. A high prevalence of antibiotic prescribing (89.69%), averaging 1.66 antibiotics per patient despite there only being 1.14% bacterial co-infections and 3.14% secondary infections, was found. Antibiotic use significantly increased with increasing severity, elevated WBCs and CRP levels, a need for oxygen and admittance to the ICU; however, this decreased significantly after the second wave (p < 0.001). Commonly prescribed antibiotics were piperacillin plus an enzyme inhibitor (20.66%), azithromycin (17.37%) and meropenem (15.45%). Common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (24.19%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (20.96%). The majority of the prescribed antibiotics (93.35%) were from the WHO’s “Watch” category. Conclusions: Excessive prescribing of antibiotics is still occurring among COVID-19 patients in Pakistan; however, rates are reducing. Urgent measures are needed for further reductions.

India's ban on antimicrobial fixed-dose combinations: winning the battle, losing the war?

Background and objectives

India, the country with the largest market availability of antimicrobial fixed-dose combinations (FDCs), banned certain antimicrobial FDCs in September 2018. Our objective was to examine the impact of Government ban on the sales of antimicrobial FDCs.

Methods

The sales patterns of 14 of the 26 banned antimicrobial FDCs were analyzed using monthly private sector drug sales data from IQVIA (a comprehensive and nationally representative drug sales database) between January 2018 and December 2019. We carried out descriptive analyses to evaluate the trend in sales over time for banned and non-banned antimicrobial FDCs using cumulative sales volumes.

Results

Overall, the cumulative sales volume of banned antimicrobial FDCs declined by 75% between January and September 2018 and the same months of 2019, although some banned FDCs continued to be available in significant volumes. The effectiveness of the ban was offset by several pathways. First, the sales of combinations containing moieties belonging to the same drug-classes as the antimicrobials in the banned FDCs increased after the ban. Second, while certain formulations of particular combinations were banned, the sales of other non-banned formulation of these combinations increased. Third, in some cases, products containing new non-antimicrobial components added to the banned combinations remained available.

Interpretation and conclusions

While sales of the banned antimicrobial FDCs decreased in 2019, we identified several mechanisms that counterbalanced the ban, including implementation failure, rising sales of congeners, and products with additional non-antimicrobial components.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40545-022-00428-w.

Antibiotic Use before, during, and after Seeking Care for Acute Febrile Illness at a Hospital Outpatient Department: A Cross-Sectional Study from Rural India

Antibiotic resistance is a naturally occurring phenomenon, but the misuse and overuse of antibiotics is accelerating the process. This study aimed to quantify and compare antibiotic use before, during, and after seeking outpatient care for acute febrile illness in Ujjain, India. Data were collected through interviews with patients/patient attendants. The prevalence and choice of antibiotics is described by the WHO AWaRe categories and Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classes, comparing between age groups. Units of measurement include courses, encounters, and Defined Daily Doses (DDDs). The antibiotic prescription during the outpatient visit was also described in relation to the patients’ presumptive diagnosis. Of 1000 included patients, 31.1% (n = 311) received one antibiotic course, 8.1% (n = 81) two, 1.3% (n = 13) three, 0.4% (n = 4) four, 0.1% (n = 1) five, and the remaining 59.0% (n = 590) received no antibiotics. The leading contributors to the total antibiotic volume in the DDDs were macrolides (30.3%), combinations of penicillins, including β-lactamase inhibitors (18.8%), tetracyclines (14.8%), fluoroquinolones (14.6%), and third-generation cephalosporins (13.7%). ‘Watch’ antibiotics accounted for 72.3%, 52.7%, and 64.0% of encounters before, during, and after the outpatient visit, respectively. Acute viral illness accounted for almost half of the total DDDs at the outpatient visit (642.1/1425.3, 45.1%), for which the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic (261.3/642.1, 40.7%).

Global, regional, and national trends in opioid analgesic consumption from 2015 to 2019: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have reported an extremely unbalanced global access to opioid analgesics. We aimed to determine contemporary trends and patterns of opioid analgesic consumption at the global, regional, and national levels.

METHODS

We analysed the global pharmaceutical sales data of 66 countries or regions from the IQVIA-Multinational Integrated Data Analysis System database on opioid analgesics between 2015 and 2019. Opioid analgesic consumption was measured in milligram morphine equivalent per 1000 inhabitants per day (MME per 1000/day). The global, regional, and national trend changes were estimated using linear regressions. Factors associated with consumption patterns and trend changes were explored in multivariable linear regression analyses.

FINDINGS

Overall opioid analgesic sales in the 66 countries or regions increased from 27·52 MME per 1000/day (16·63-45·54) in 2015 to 29·51 MME per 1000/day (17·85-48·79) in 2019 (difference per year 3·96%, 95% CI 0·26 to 7·80). Sales reduced yearly in North America (-12·84%; 95% CI -15·34 to -10·27) and Oceania (-2·96%; -4·20 to -1·70); increased in South America (28·69%; 7·18 to 54·53), eastern Europe (7·68%; 3·99 to 11·49), Asia (5·74%; 0·61 to 11·14), and western and central Europe (1·64%; 0·52 to 2·78); and did not differ in Africa or central America and the Caribbean. The global opioid consumption patterns were associated with country-level Human Development Index (p=0·040), cancer death rate excluding leukaemia (p=0·0072), and geographical location (p<0·0001). In 2019, opioid analgesic consumption ranged from 0·01 MME per 1000/day to 5·40 MME per 1000/day in the 17 countries and regions in the lowest consumption quartile, despite high income levels and cancer death rates in some of them.

INTERPRETATION

Global opioid analgesic consumption increased from 2015 to 2019. The trend changes were distinctive across regions, which could reflect the different actions in response to known issues of opioid use and misuse. Disparities in opioid analgesic consumption remained, indicating potential inadequate access to essential pain relief in countries with low consumption.

FUNDING

None.

Antibiotic Prescription Patterns in the Paediatric Primary Care Setting before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: An Analysis Using the AWaRe Metrics

The containment measures following COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced airway infections, but they also limited the access of patients to healthcare services. We aimed to assess the antibiotic prescription patterns in the Italian paediatric primary care setting before and after the containment measures implementation. For this retrospective analysis, we used a population database, Pedianet, collecting data of patients aged 0–14 years enrolled with family paediatricians (FP) from March 2019 to March 2021. Antibiotic prescriptions were classified according to WHO AWaRe classification. An interrupted time series evaluating the impact of the containment measures implementation on the monthly antibiotic index, on the access to watch index, and on the amoxicillin to co-amoxiclav index stratified by diagnosis was performed. Overall, 121,304 antibiotic prescriptions were retrieved from 134 FP, for a total of 162,260 children. From March 2020, the antibiotic index dropped by more than 80% for respiratory infections. The Access to Watch trend did not change after the containment measures, reflecting the propensity to prescribe more broad-spectrum antibiotics for respiratory infections even during the pandemic. Similarly, co-amoxiclav was prescribed more often than amoxicillin alone for all the diagnoses, with a significant variation in the trend slope for upper respiratory tract infections prescriptions.

Cumulative Antibiotic Exposure in the First Five Years of Life: Estimates for 45 Low- and Middle-income Countries from Demographic and Health Survey Data

BACKGROUND

Estimates of the total cumulative exposure to antibiotics of children in low-resource settings, and the source of these treatments, are limited.

METHODS

We estimated the average number of antibiotic treatments children received in the first five years of life in 45 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. The two-week point prevalence of fever, diarrhea or cough and antibiotic treatment for these illnesses were estimated for ages 0-59 months and aggregated to estimate cumulative illness and antibiotic treatment for each country. We estimated treatment rates and contribution to total antibiotic use attributable to medical care, informal care, and self-medication.

RESULTS

Forty-five countries contributed 438,140 child-observations. The proportion of illness episodes treated with antibiotics ranged from 10% (95% CI: 9-12) (Niger) to 72% (95% CI: 69-75) (Jordan). A mean of 42·7% (95% CI: 42.1-43.3) of febrile and 32.9% of non-febrile illness (95% CI: 32.4-33.5) episodes received antibiotics. In their first five years, we estimate children received 18.5 antibiotics treatments on average (IQR: 11.6-24.6) in LMICs. Cumulative antibiotic exposure ranged from 3.7 treatments in Niger (95% CI: 2.8-4.6) to 38·6 treatments in DR Congo (95% CI: 34.7-42.4). A median of 9.0% of antibiotic treatment was attributable to informal care (IQR: 5.9-21.2), and 16.9% to self-medication (IQR: 9.5-26.2).

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood antibiotic exposure is high in some LMICs, with considerable variability. While access to antibiotics for children is still not universal, important opportunities for reducing excess use also exist, particularly with respect to the informal care sector and self-medication.

Trends and Pattern of Antibiotic Use in Children in Northern Spain, Interpreting Data about Antibiotic Consumption in Pediatric Outpatients

Monitoring of antibiotic prescription and consumption behavior is crucial. The Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification of antibiotics has been recently introduced in order to measure and improve patterns of antibiotic use. In this study, retrospective data about systemic antibiotic consumption (expressed in defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID)) in pediatric outpatients in a region in northern Spain (around 100,000 children up to 14 years old) from 2005 to 2018 were analyzed and compared with antibiotic consumption in general population in Spain. The pattern of use was analyzed by the percentage of the current AWaRe categories, the Access-to-Watch index, and the amoxicillin index. Data were calculated annually and compared into two periods. Mean antibiotic consumption in pediatric outpatients was 14.0 DID (CI 95% 13.38–14.62). It remained stable throughout the study and was lower than consumption in general population in Spain, particularly from 2016. Changes in the consumption of the main active principles have led to an improvement in the three metrics of the pattern of use. It is important to have a thorough knowledge of the methodology applied in studies about antibiotic consumption. There is a lack of an optimal standardized metric for the pediatric population.

Altered Gut Structure and Anti-Bacterial Defense in Adult Mice Treated with Antibiotics during Early Life

The association between prolonged antibiotic (AB) use in neonates and increased incidence of later life diseases is not yet fully understood. AB treatment in early life alters intestinal epithelial cell composition, functioning, and maturation, which could be the basis for later life health effects. Here, we investigated whether AB-induced changes in the neonatal gut persisted up to adulthood and whether early life AB had additional long-term consequences for gut functioning. Mice received AB orally from postnatal day 10 to 20. Intestinal morphology, permeability, and gene and protein expression at 8 weeks were analyzed. Our data showed that the majority of the early life AB-induced gut effects did not persist into adulthood, yet early life AB did impact later life gut functioning. Specifically, the proximal small intestine (SI) of adult mice treated with AB in early life was characterized by hyperproliferative crypts, increased number of Paneth cells, and alterations in enteroendocrine cell-specific gene expression profiles. The distal SI of adult mice displayed a reduced expression of antibacterial defense markers. Together, our results suggest that early life AB leads to structural and physiological changes in the adult gut, which may contribute to disease development when homeostatic conditions are under challenge.

Management of Children Admitted to Hospitals across Bangladesh with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 and the Implications for the Future: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

There is an increasing focus on researching children admitted to hospital with new variants of COVID-19, combined with concerns with hyperinflammatory syndromes and the overuse of antimicrobials. Paediatric guidelines have been produced in Bangladesh to improve their care. Consequently, the objective is to document the management of children with COVID-19 among 24 hospitals in Bangladesh. Key outcome measures included the percentage prescribed different antimicrobials, adherence to paediatric guidelines and mortality rates using purposely developed report forms. The majority of 146 admitted children were aged 5 years or under (62.3%) and were boys (58.9%). Reasons for admission included fever, respiratory distress and coughing; 86.3% were prescribed antibiotics, typically parenterally, on the WHO ‘Watch’ list, and empirically (98.4%). There were no differences in antibiotic use whether hospitals followed paediatric guidance or not. There was no prescribing of antimalarials and limited prescribing of antivirals (5.5% of children) and antiparasitic medicines (0.7%). The majority of children (92.5%) made a full recovery. It was encouraging to see the low hospitalisation rates and limited use of antimalarials, antivirals and antiparasitic medicines. However, the high empiric use of antibiotics, alongside limited switching to oral formulations, is a concern that can be addressed by instigating the appropriate programmes.

Vigilance Needed in Treating Leprosy Patients in Accordance with WHO's AWaRe

BACKGROUND

Leprosy is a highly stigmatized disease that can range from a minor skin lesion to life-threatening conditions such as deformities and disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a tool called "Access, Watch, and Reserve" (AWaRe) to reduce antibiotic misuse and abuse.

AIM

The purpose of this review is to determine whether the drugs used in the leprosy treatment regimen are complied with the AWaRe programme, in order to improve the quality of hospital antibiotic use and reduce the incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

METHODS

We started by looking for antibiotics that are used in the treatment and chemoprophylaxis of leprosy, as defined by the WHO's AWaRe classification. Furthermore, we look for studies on antibiotics that showed sensitivity or less resistance after antimicrobial sensitivity testing (AST) on isolates from infected leprosy ulcers, as well as their AWaRe category.

RESULTS

There were 32 studies found, but only 5 of them met the inclusion criteria. They consisted of four cross-sectional studies and one descriptive retrospective study. A total of 19 antibiotics were identified in 5 studies, with 9 (47.4%) antibiotics in the access category, 8 (42.1%) antibiotics in the watch group, and 2 (10.5%) antibiotics in the reserve group.

CONCLUSION

As per our knowledge, this is the first study to explore antibiotics in leprosy treatment, chemoprophylaxis, and complications such as ulcer compliance with the AWaRe programme. Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise, which is a global issue that continues to pose challenges to clinical practices. This review may provide physicians with an overview of the current state of drug prescribing trends in leprosy, whether in accordance with the AWaRe classification in selecting the right drug when the use of antimicrobials is indicated and may also aid in rational drug prescribing.

Compliance of imipenem and meropenem administration with the national antimicrobial stewardship program in a referral teaching hospital in Iran

INTRODUCTION

Considering the great significance of antimicrobial resistance, implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in healthcare facilities is of particular importance. This study aimed to evaluate the compliance of imipenem and meropenem administration with the ASP guidelines in a referral teaching hospital in Iran.

METHODS

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the medical records of patients, who received either imipenem or meropenem at xx Hospital in Semnan, Iran, from March 21, 2017 until March 20, 2019, were reviewed using the developed ASP, according to the instructions issued by the Ministry of Health of Iran. The obtained findings were recorded in a checklist consisted of six items. If the action taken for the patient complied with the item requirement specified in the ASP, it would receive a score of one; otherwise, a score of zero. The sum of scores (range: 0-6) was reported and analyzed. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 23, using Chi-square, ANOVA, and independent t-test, and P <0.05 was considered as significant.

RESULTS

The mean duration of imipenem/meropenem administration was 9.2±8.0 days. A total of 6,032 imipenem/meropenem vials (1 g/vial) were prescribed during the study (meropenem for 210 patients and imipenem for 87 patients). In 64.2% of the patients, there was no indication, and the mean score of the subjects was 1.55±1.2. The obtained score was three in 53 (17.8%) records and four in 18 (6.1%) records. The mean score of ASP in the intensive care units was higher, while it was lower in the surgical ward as compared to the other wards (P=0.002).

DISCUSSION

Antibiotic prescription was inappropriate in our center, and compliance with the ASP guidelines was very low, especially in the surgical wards. It seems necessary to take effective steps for planning continuing education programs on rational antibiotic prescription and supervision of prescription patterns.

Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns in Paediatric Primary Care in Italy: Findings from 2012-2018

Comprehensive data are needed to monitor antibiotic prescribing and inform stewardship. We aimed to evaluate the current antibiotic prescribing patterns, including treatment switching and prolongation, in the paediatric primary care setting in Italy. This database study assessed antibiotic prescriptions retrieved from Pedianet, a paediatric primary care database, from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2018. Descriptive analyses were stratified by diagnosis class, calendar year, and children's age. Generalized linear Poisson regression was used to assess variation in the prescriptions. In total, 505,927 antibiotic prescriptions were included. From 2012 to 2018, the number of antibiotics per child decreased significantly by 4% yearly from 0.79 in 2012 to 0.62 in 2018. Amoxicillin prescriptions decreased with increasing children's age, while macrolides and third-generation cephalosporins had the opposite trend. Prescriptions were associated with a diagnosis of upper respiratory infection in 23% of cases, followed by pharyngitis (21%), bronchitis and bronchiolitis (12%), and acute otitis media (12%). Eight percent of treatment episodes were prolonged or switched class, mostly represented by co-amoxiclav, macrolides, and third-generation cephalosporins. Our findings report an overall decrease in antibiotic prescriptions, but pre-schoolers are still receiving more than one antibiotic yearly, and broad-spectrum antibiotics prescription rates remain the highest.