The antimicrobial stewardship program in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states: insights from a regional survey

The purpose of the current study is to describe the prevalence and characteristics of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to explore opportunities and overcome barriers to effective ASP implementation.

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the current status of ASP: major stewardship components, barriers of implementation and program impact in acute care hospitals of GCC states.

Forty-seven healthcare professionals responded from four GCC states, the majority from Saudi Arabia (81%). Twenty-nine (62%) participating hospitals had ASP in place. Of these established programs, 35 (75%) reported lack of funding and personnel as major barriers to program implementation. The top three objectives cited for the hospital ASP were to reduce resistance (72.3%), improve clinical outcomes (70.2%) and reduce costs (44.7%). The reported impact of existing ASP was reduction of inappropriate prescribing (68%), reduction of broad spectrum antibiotic use (63.8%), reduction of healthcare-associated infections (61.7%), reduction of length of stay or mortality metrics (59.6%), reduction in direct antibiotic cost (57.4%) and reduction of reported antibiotic resistance (55.3%).

Survey participants from GCC states who have implemented ASP report significant impacts in the reduction of broad spectrum antibiotic use, hospital-acquired infection, inappropriate prescribing and antimicrobial resistance. These findings suggest a promising opportunity to enhance existing ASP through sharing of best practices and support the development of regional guidelines across GCC states.