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Published on: August 30, 2018
Antibiotic consumption patterns in Iranian teaching hospitals
Azita Nabizadeh1, Zahra Jahangard-Rafsanjani1,2, Seyed Heidar Mohammadi3
1Department for Assessment and Control of Prescribing and Use of Medicines, Iran Food and Drug Administration, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Summary
Antibiotic consumption in Iranian teaching hospitals shows high reliance on watch antibiotics, particularly cephalosporins. Further assessment of antibiotic use is crucial for strengthening stewardship programs.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Limited national data exists on antibiotic consumption in Iranian teaching hospitals using the WHO Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) classification.
- This study addresses the data gap by quantifying antibiotic use in these facilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify antibiotic consumption in teaching hospitals across the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- To analyze antibiotic usage patterns based on the WHO AWaRe categorization.
Main Methods:
- Antibiotic consumption data from March 2023 to March 2024 were analyzed for all 248 teaching hospitals in Iran.
- The WHO-defined daily dose (DDD) methodology and the AWaRe categorization were applied to the consumption data.
Main Results:
- Median antibiotic consumption was 299 DDD per 100 admissions per day.
- Watch antibiotics constituted the majority of consumption (61%), followed by access (37%) and reserve (2%).
- Ceftriaxone, cefazolin, meropenem, and vancomycin were the most frequently used antibiotics.
Conclusions:
- High reliance on watch antibiotics, extensive cephalosporin use, and prevalent parenteral formulations were observed.
- There is a critical need to evaluate the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing to enhance antibiotic stewardship in Iranian teaching hospitals.
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