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Research Article: Antibiotic use among hospitalised patients in Sierra Leone: a national point prevalence survey using the WHO survey methodology

Date Published: 2023-12-30

Abstract:
Objective Inappropriate use of antibiotics is a major driver of antibiotic resistance. A few studies conducted in Africa have documented that about half of hospitalised patients who receive antibiotics should not have received them. A few hospital-based studies that have been conducted in Sierra Leone have documented a high usage of antibiotics in hospitals. Therefore, we conducted a nationwide point prevalence survey on antibiotic use among hospitalised patients in Sierra Leone. Design We conducted a hospital-based, cross-sectional survey on the use of antibiotics using the WHO point prevalence survey methodology. Setting The study was conducted in 26 public and private hospitals that are providing inpatient healthcare services. Participants All patients admitted to paediatric and adult inpatient wards before or at 08:00 on the survey date were enrolled. Outcome measures Prevalence of antibiotic use, antibiotics Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) categorisation, indication for antibiotic use prevalence and proportion of bacteria culture done. Results Of the 1198 patient records reviewed, 883 (73.7%, 95%?CI 71.1% to 76.2%) were on antibiotics. Antibiotic use was highest in the paediatric wards (306, 85.7%), followed by medical wards (158, 71.2%), surgical wards (146, 69.5%), mixed wards (97, 68.8%) and lowest in the obstetrics and gynaecology wards (176, 65.7%). The most widely prescribed antibiotics were metronidazole (404, 22.2%), ceftriaxone (373, 20.5%), ampicillin (337, 18.5%), gentamicin (221, 12.1%) and amoxicillin (90, 5.0%). Blood culture was only done for one patient and antibiotic treatments were given empirically. The most common indication for antibiotic use was community-acquired infection (484, 51.9%) followed by surgical prophylaxis (222, 23.8%). Conclusion There was high usage of antibiotics in hospitals in Sierra Leone as the majority of patients admitted received an antibiotic. This has the potential to increase the burden of antibiotic resistance in the country. We, therefore, recommend the establishment of hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes according to the WHO core components.

Introduction:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health threat that will undo the gains made in modern medicine and public health. 1–3 AMR could potentially result in an economic loss of more than 5% of the gross domestic product in low-income and middle-income countries and more than 10?million deaths annually by 2050. 4 If the necessary steps and proven effective public health interventions are not implemented, the world might be heading towards a post-antibiotic era where these priceless medical tools will be…

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