Quantitative analysis of the consumption of antibacterials prescribed in the ambulatory care and reimbursed by HII in Albania during 2011-2012 (original) (raw)

Point Prevalence Survey of Antibiotic Prescribing in the Hospital Sector in Albania

Acta Pharmaceutica Sciencia, 2021

Antibiotic resistance represents a serious threat worldwide. The onset and spread of resistance is mostly related to irrational and increased use of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibiotic prescribing patterns and identify areas for quality improvement in the hospital sector in Albania. A Point Prevalence Survey study was conducted, at a University Hospital Centre in Tirana, Albania. On the day of the survey, 65.7% of the inpatients were on antibiotic treatment, mostly for medical prophylaxis (67.1%). The higher prevalence was found in Intensive Care Units (81.0%). The most commonly used antibiotics were the cephalosporins (53.1%) followed by metronidazole (16.2%) and fluoroquinolones (14.7%). High rates of antibiotic use were found in all wards, while some indicators related to prescribing patterns were critical. A close and continuous surveillance of the antibiotic use, along with measures at national level could contribute in improving a proper use of antibiotics.

11-Year Trend in Antibiotic Consumption in a South-Eastern European Country; the Situation in Albania and the Implications for the Future

Antibiotics

There are growing concerns with rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across countries. These concerns are enhanced by the increasing and inappropriate utilization of ‘Watch’ antibiotics with their greater resistance potential, AMR is further exacerbated by the increasing use of antibiotics to treat patients with COVID-19 despite little evidence of bacterial infections. Currently, little is known about antibiotic utilization patterns in Albania in recent years, including the pandemic years, the influence of an ageing population, as well as increasing GDP and greater healthcare governance. Consequently, total utilization patterns in the country were tracked from 2011 to 2021 alongside key indicators. Key indicators included total utilization as well as changes in the use of ‘Watch’ antibiotics. Antibiotic consumption fell from 27.4 DIDs (defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day) in 2011 to 18.8 DIDs in 2019, which was assisted by an ageing population and improved infrastructu...

Evaluation of use of antibiotics without prescription among young adults in Albania case study: Tirana and Fier District

Hippokratia

Self-medication is defined as the utilization of drugs to treat self-diagnosed disorders or symptoms, or the irregular or continuous use of a prescribed drug for chronic or repeated diseases or symptoms. The main problem with self-medication with antimicrobials is the emergence of pathogenic resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is an existing problem world-wide, mainly in developing countries. The aims and objectives of the study presented in this article are to evaluate the prevalence of purchase of antibiotics without prescription and appropriateness of use among adults and to determine the impact of the education level on the sensibility level over the use of antibiotics. This was a questionnaire based study of 3 month duration. The study includes data from 350 young adults (182 men/172 women, mean age ± SD: 34.72 ± 13.7 years), who visited ten different pharmacies located in the city of Tirana and the "Olympus" Private Medical Clinic in Fier between December 2012 and M...

Antibiotic consumption and healthcare-associated infections in a tertiary hospital in Belgrade, Serbia from 2011 to 2016

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries

Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and irrational use of antibiotics in healthcare settings are major global public health concerns. Surveillance of HAIs in intensive care units (ICU), surgical-site infections (SSIs), and Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs), together with implementation of antibiotic stewardship, are cornerstones of hospital infection prevention programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibiotic consumption, especially of broad spectrum antibiotics, in relation to HAI incidence density (ID). Methodology: The study was conducted from 2011 to 2016 in a tertiary hospital, the Military Medical Academy (MMA), in Belgrade, Serbia. Through regular hospital surveillance we identified all patients with a new HAI. Data on consumption of antibacterials for systemic use were expressed as defined daily dose per 100 bed days (DDD/100 BD). Results: The highest incidence density (ID) of HAI was observed among patients in surgical ICUs (47.2 per 1000 p...

Outpatient antibiotic consumption for urinary infections in Croatia 2005 - 2014: What can be learned from utilization trends

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

Aim The aim of this study was to determine quantities of antibiotics used mainly or exclusively for urinary tract infections in Croatia between 2005 and 2014, to describe utilisation trends, and general consequences of antibiotic consumption on antimicrobial resistance. MethodsAntibiotic utilisation data were obtained from annual reports of both the Croatian Drug Agency and Croatian Academy of Medical Sciences. Antibiotic consumption was expressed in DDD/1000 inhabitants/day (DDD TID). Antimicrobial resistance was analysed for E. coli, E. faecalis, E. faecium, P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp., P. mirabilis. Descriptive statistics were used to process data and calculate trends. ResultsOverall, utilisation of antibacterials decreased by 4.8% (from 3,35 to 3,19 DDD TID), while trends of individual agents varied substantially – from 87% decline for ceftibuten to 160% rise for levofloxacin. The consumption of quinolones increased by 32.3%. This was mostly due to increased ciprofloxacin con...

Antibiotic consumption in Turkish hospitals; a multi-centre point prevalence study

Journal of Chemotherapy, 2016

Background: Improper use of antibiotics leads to the emergence of resistant microorganisms as well as drug toxicity, increased healthcare costs, morbidity and mortality. Globally, an estimated 25-68% of hospitalized patients receive suboptimal antibiotic regimes. Information on the extent of this problem in Ghana is currently limited, particularly in surgical units. To strategize for interventions, we estimated the antibiotic use prevalence in surgical departments in a country-wide point prevalence survey (PPS) in Ghana. Methods: Between October 2016 and December 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional multi-center country-wide PPS. This involved an audit of in-patients' records from all units/departments of ten systematically selected hospitals in Ghana. Data were collected with a standardized questionnaire, adopted from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In this report, we present data on antibiotic use from the surgical units. Results: Of 2107 eligible patients included in the PPS, 540 patients were identified in surgical units, of which 70.7% (382/540) received antibiotic therapy. A total of 636 antibiotic prescriptions were issued to these surgical patients; 224 (58.6%) for treatment, including 50 for treatment of hospital-acquired infections, and 144 (37.7%) for prophylaxis (medical and surgical). Median duration of antibiotic therapy prior to the survey was 5 days (interquartile range (IQR): 3-8 days). Surgical prophylaxis was administered for longer than the recommended one day in 107 of 144 (88.4%) patients. The choice of antibiotics was largely similar for community-and hospital-acquired infections as well as for prophylaxis. Only 3.7% of patients had microbiological analysis done on clinical samples. Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of antibiotic use, with the choice of antibiotics, in some cases, inconsistent with the country's treatment guidelines. Antibiotics were administered for long duration including antibiotics for prophylactic purposes and the majority was started without supporting microbiological analysis. Prescription practices that encourage rational use of antibiotics guided by microbiology and enforcement of antibiotic policy guidelines should be the target for future interventions.

Point prevalence survey on antibiotic use in a Croatian Infectious Disease Hospital

Journal of Chemotherapy, 2013

Antibiotic use is the driving force for increasing antibiotic resistance. A large proportion of antibiotics in hospitals are used inadequately. The objective of this study was to evaluate antibiotic use at the Hospital for Infectious Diseases through point-prevalence surveys conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Point prevalence surveys were part of the European Surveillance on Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC) Hospital Care Subproject and patients` data were collected following ESAC protocol. Additionally, the adequacy of antimicrobial therapy and Point-prevalence surveys proved to be a valuable method for detecting targets for antibiotic prescribing improvement and they clearly showed that our local hospital guidelines offered too many choices of antibiotic treatment for each clinical indication and needed revision.