Current Antibiotic Use Among Hospitals in the sub-Saharan Africa Region; Findings and Implications

Linda Siachalinga,1,* Brian Godman,2– 4,* Julius C Mwita,5,* Israel Abebrese Sefah,6,* Olayinka O Ogunleye,7,8,* Amos Massele,9,* Iyn-Hyang Lee1,* 1College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0RE, UK; 3Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, 346, United Arab Emirates; 4Department of Public Health Pharmacy and Management, School of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, 02084, South Africa; 5Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana; 6Pharmacy Practice Department, School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana; 7Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Lagos, 100271, Nigeria; 8Department of Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, 100271, Nigeria; 9Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Linda Siachalinga, College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, 38541, Republic of Korea, Tel +82 10 4112 7997, Email lindasiachalinga@yu.ac.krBackground: The rapid rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally, impacting on morbidity, mortality and costs with sub-Saharan African countries reporting the greatest burden is a concern. Instigation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) can improve antibiotic use in hospitals and reduce AMR. Implementing ASPs requires knowledge of antibiotic utilization against agreed quality indicators with the data obtained from point prevalence surveys (PPS), hence the need to document antibiotic utilization