Improving antibiotic prescribing in LMICs: Insights from an outpatient clinic in Pakistan.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Most human antibiotic use occurs in outpatient care and is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Although sales statistics suggest that high-income countries consume more antibiotics overall, the steepest growth is seen in low- and middle-income countries. Sales data - incomplete and non-transparent - reveal little about prescriptions to individual patients. Detailed, clinic-level data are essential for identifying targets for stewardship.We investigated antibiotic use and prescription appropriateness in an outpatient clinic in Pakistan - a country with some of the world's highest reported AMR prevalences.

Methods

Patients attending an outpatient clinic near Lahore were interviewed immediately after their clinic visit and again one month later. Clinical

SUBMITTER: Khawaja T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12754384 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature