Auditing use of antibiotics in Zimbabwean neonates.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income settings. As signs of sepsis are non-specific and deterioration precipitous, antibiotics are often used profusely in these settings where diagnostics may not be readily available. Harare Central Hospital, Zimbabwe, delivers 12000 babies per annum admitting ∼4800 to the neonatal unit. Overcrowding, understaffing and rapid staff turnover are consistent problems. Suspected sepsis is highly prevalent, and antibiotics widely used. We audited the impact of training and benchmarking intervention on rationalizing antibiotic prescription using local, World Health Organization-derived, guidelines as the standard.

Methods

An initial audit of admission diagnosis and antibiotic use was performed between

SUBMITTER: Chimhini G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8336170 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature