ANALYZING THE PATTERN OF USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN A GHANAIAN DISTRICT HOSPITAL, ACROSS TWO DIFFERENT YEARS, USING THE WHO AWARE CLASSIFICATION

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThere has been an increment in the resistance of microorganisms to various antibiotics used in regional hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana and the country. This has led to difficulty in selecting agents to treat patients without the associated increment in side effects, the astronomical increase in the cost of medical care and a longer duration of hospitalization. In this study, we analyze the pattern of antibiotic use in a district hospital using the WHO AWaRe recommendation.ObjectivesTo ascertain the general pattern of antibiotic use with reference to the Access, Watch and Reserve Classes using the selected parameters (year of visit and patient demographics) and to confirm if the standard set by the WHO with respect to Access Class antibiotics is met.MethodFiles of patients, in 2021 and 2022, were systematically sampled from the database of SDA Hospital - Kwadaso (the hospital involved), and data concerning the visits for which antibiotics were administered were extracted to carry out the analysis required. The data extracted included the year of visit, demographics of the patients involved (patient status, age and sex) and the antibiotics that were administered.ResultsThis study seeks to ascertain the distribution of antibiotics used across the two years in the hospital of interest using the 2021 WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch and Reserve Antibiotics) Classification. Ultimately, the value, in percentage, of the distribution of the antibiotics used in the Access class will be compared to the target of at least 60% of the total antibiotic consumption being Access group antibiotics as recommended by WHO.