Assessment of antimicrobial use and prescribing practices among pediatric inpatients in Zimbabwe
This study aims to assess antimicrobial consumption in the pediatric department of a tertiary care public hospital in Zimbabwe. Clinical records of pediatric inpatients admitted to Harare Central Hospital over a 3-week period were reviewed prospectively. Antimicrobial consumption was described as d...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor and Francis Ltd.
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1120009X.2020.1734719 http://hdl.handle.net/11408/4139 |
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| Summary: | This study aims to assess antimicrobial consumption in the pediatric department of a tertiary care public hospital in Zimbabwe.
Clinical records of pediatric inpatients admitted to Harare Central Hospital over a 3-week period were reviewed prospectively. Antimicrobial consumption was described as days of therapy per 100 inpatient days (DOT/100 PD). Adherence of antimicrobial drug prescriptions to the National Guidelines was also evaluated.
A total of 121 (93.1%) children were prescribed at least one antimicrobial out of 130 children admitted. The median age was 14 months (IQR: 3 – 48 months). Overall antimicrobial consumption was 155.4 DOT / 100 PD (95% CI 146-165.2). The most frequently prescribed antimicrobials were benzylpenicillin, gentamicin and ceftriaxone. Prescriptions were adherent to national guidelines in 57.7% of children.
This study shows that there is high antimicrobial drug usage in hospitalized children in Zimbabwe and a considerable proportion of prescriptions are non-adherent with national guidelines. |
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