Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec;32(8):456-459.
doi: 10.1080/1120009X.2020.1734719. Epub 2020 Mar 2.

Assessment of antimicrobial use and prescribing practices among pediatric inpatients in Zimbabwe

Ioana D Olaru  1   2 , Anne Meierkord  1 , Brian Godman  3   4   5 , Crispen Ngwenya  6 , Felicity Fitzgerald  2   7 , Vongai Dondo  8 , Rashida A Ferrand  1   2 , Katharina Kranzer  1   2
Affiliations

Assessment of antimicrobial use and prescribing practices among pediatric inpatients in Zimbabwe

Ioana D Olaru et al. J Chemother. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: AMR; Antibiotic resistance; Antimicrobial consumption; Antimicrobial resistance; Antimicrobial stewardship; Children.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of interest

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. FF is supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences, the funders of the Starter Grant for Clinical Lecturers scheme and UCL Great Ormond Street NIHR Biomedical Research Centre

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

References

    1. Holmes AH, Moore LS, Sundsfjord A, Steinbakk M, Regmi S, Karkey A, et al. Understanding the mechanisms and drivers of antimicrobial resistance. Lancet (London, England) 2016;387:176–187. - PubMed
    1. Dalton B, MacTavish S, Bresee L. Antimicrobial use over a four-year period using days of therapy measurement at a Canadian pediatric acute care hospital. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology. 2015;26:253–258. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ministry of Health & Child Care - Republic of Zimbabwe. EDLIZ 2015: 7th Essential Medicines List and Standard Treatment Guidelines for Zimbabwe. Harare; 2015.
    1. Maina D, Omuse G, Revathi G, Adam RD. Spectrum of Microbial Diseases and Resistance Patterns at a Private Teaching Hospital in Kenya: Implications for Clinical Practice. PLoS ONE [Electronic Resource] 2016;11:e0147659. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chaw PS, Schlinkmann KM, Raupach-Rosin H, Karch A, Pletz MW, Hueber J, et al. Antibiotic use on paediatric inpatients in a teaching hospital in the Gambia, a retrospective study. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2018;7:82. - PMC - PubMed

Substances