Patterns of Antimicrobial Use in Hospitalized Children: A Repeated Point Prevalence Survey From Pakistan

摘要

Three repeated point prevalence surveys (PPSs) were conducted in pediatric wards of 5 hospitals using the methodology developed by Global-PPS to identify key targets for interventions and antibiotic stewardship programs. Out of the 916 hospitalized patients, 865 (94.6%) were treated with at least 1 antibiotic. ^g>antimicrobial resistance; infection control; pediatrics; repeated point prevalence survey. Widespread and inappropriate use of antibiotics at an individual, healthcare facility, and community level has been positively associated with accelerating resistance mechanisms in microorganisms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended adopting antibiotic stewardship programs with a significant focus on enhancing diagnostic supports to guide treatment decisions, monitoring of prescribing practices, and infection control measures to prevent the transmission of infections [1]. However, surveillance data on antibiotic use are essential for the identification of priority areas for targeted interventions. Continuous surveillance is time-consuming and resource-intensive, and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack the resources and proper infrastructure for the implementation of these surveillance networks. Point prevalence surveys (PPSs) provide a quick picture of assessing the magnitude of issues in LMICs [2].