Assessing antibiotic utilization among pediatric patients in Gaborone, Botswana.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Over the past decade, concerning trends in antimicrobial resistance have emerged in Southern Africa. Given a paucity of pediatric data, our objectives were to (1) describe antibiotic utilization trends at a national referral center in Southern Africa and (2) assess the proportion of patients receiving antibiotics appropriately. In addition, risk factors for inappropriate use were explored.

Methods

We performed a prospective cohort study on medical and surgical pediatric patients aged below 13 years admitted to the country's tertiary care referral hospital in Gaborone, Botswana. We collected demographics, clinical, laboratory, and microbiology details, in addition to information on antibiotic use. We separately categorized antibiotic prescriptions using the World H

SUBMITTER: Kitt E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9939905 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature