Point Prevalence Study of Antibiotic Consumption in Sanandaj Hospitals, 2015-2017; Urgent Implications for an Antibiotic Stewardship Program

Antibiotic resistance is considered a global and increasing threat to human health. Excessive use of antibiotics is one of the leading causes of antibiotic resistance. In this study, we investigated the frequency of antibiotic prescriptions and evaluated the aspects of its prescription in Sanandaj hospitals.

This study was part of the Global-PPS Antibiotic Consumption and Resistance Project under the management of the University of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016 and 2018, the purpose of which was to help improvement of the rational prescription of antibiotics in hospitalized patients. The study method was based on the protocol developed by the global point prevalence survey project. All patients hospitalized in the neonatal, pediatric, and adult departments of Besat, Tohid, Kowsar, and Social Security hospitals in Sanandaj were included on the selected study days.

Quality indicators of antibiotic prescription in children and adults departments consisted of the relative frequency of antibiotic prescription (57.84% and 42.57%), the relative frequency of combined treatment prescription (73.41% and 50%), use of experimental treatment vs. Targeted treatment based on microbiology evidence (4% and 2%), reference to hospital guidelines in prescribing antibiotics (3% and zero), the presence of a registered indication for prescribing antibiotic treatment (79% and 49%), and also stop/review date documented in the patient's records (1% and 2%) respectively. The quality indicators in this study were compared with those in the European and other Asian countries.

The quality indicators of antibiotic prescription in Sanandaj hospitals were not favorable compared to the hospitals in European and other Asian countries and indicated an urgent need for intervention by designing an antibiotic stewardship program.