Antimicrobial Consumption in an Intensive Care Units: A Retrospective Study of Four Hospitals in Sana'a City, Yemen

Abstract

Background:

Drug utilization study, particularly antimicrobials, is an important tool to study the clinical use of drugs and its impact on healthcare System. The irrational use of antimicrobials leads to a number of consequences in term of cost, drug interactions, hospital stay, bacterial resistance, and a substantial economic burden on health care systems. This study aimed to determine the prevalence patterns of antimicrobial consumption in ICUs of hospitals in Sana'‘a city, Yemen.

Methods:

A retrospective study was conducted in four main hospitals in Sana'a city, Yemen, during January to March 2022. Data on _ patient demographics, antimicrobial prescriptions, and antimicrobial consumption were collected from medical records. Descriptive statistics were applied to the collected data and institutional ethical committee approval was obtained.

Results:

A total of 250 patients were included in the study, (51.2%) females and (48.8%) males across all hospitals with age categories ranged from 15 years to over 60 years. The cumulative patient-days for all ICU patients was 1851 days, resulting in an average admission duration of 7.4 days per patient moreover, the average number of _ prescribed antimicrobials per patient was 2, and the average of antimicrobial consumption per patient was 0.7 grams. The most commonly prescribed antimicrobials were Ceftriaxone (21.75%), Meropenem (12.7%), and Moxifloxacin (10.17%). Cephalosporins were the most commonly consumed group (33.66%), followed by Fluoroquinolones (23.95%), Carbapenems (13.37%), Gilycopeptides (7.98%), and Penicillins (8.85%). 

Conclusion:

The study provides insights into the utilization of Antibiotics in ICU patients in Sana’a city, Yemen. In addition, variations in both prevalence of antibiotic use and in prescribing patterns among different hospitals. It is necessary for continuous monitoring and improvement of antibiotic prescribing practices in ICUs to combat the development of antimicrobial resistance and other complications.