Avicenna Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Background: Improper use and prescription of antibiotics can lead to numerous adverse consequences and increased costs. Antibiotic stewardship is a crucial global approach for dealing with the risks associated with inappropriate antibiotic therapy. The present study aimed to evaluate the level of public hospitals’ adherence to the correct and appropriate implementation of antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) at an international standard level, in Hamadan, Iran.

Methods: The required data were collected using the Antibiotic Stewardship Program Assessment Questionnaire prepared by the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), containing 33 questions across 7 dimensions to assess hospitals’ antibiotic stewardship activities. Respondents included people responsible for monitoring or directing the implementation of antibiotic stewardship in the respective hospitals. Data analysis included descriptive statistics for respondents’ demographics, hospital characteristics, and adherence to each questionnaire item and dimension.

Results: The studied hospitals had between 110 and 570 beds. Of the respondents, 86.7% were women, and except for one person, the educational background of the rest of the respondents was in pharmacy or nursing. Regarding antibiotic stewardship, the lowest levels of implementation were found in the dimensions of “Education” (60%) and “Implementing interventions to improve antibiotic use” (75%). The levels of performance for “Senior Managers’ Commitment to Antibiotic Stewardship”, “Reporting the Antibiotic Consumption and Its Outputs”, and “Tracking Antibiotic Consumption and Its Outputs” were 86.7%, 80%, and 77%, respectively. The highest score was 90%, which was obtained for the dimensions of “Accountability” and “Pharmacy Expertise”.

Conclusion: Results indicated a need to strengthen antibiotic stewardship, especially in the areas of education, the implementation of interventions to improve the use of antibiotics, and the monitoring and reporting of antibiotic use and its outcomes.