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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1367703
This article is part of the Research Topic Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance during and After COVID-19 Pandemic in Low-Middle-Income Countries View all 8 articles

Antimicrobial Stewardship Situation Analysis in Selected Hospitals in Zambia: Findings and Implications from a National Survey

Provisionally accepted
Joseph Y. Chizimu Joseph Y. Chizimu 1,2*
  • 1 Zambia National Public Health Institute, Lusaka, Zambia
  • 2 Division of Bioresouces, International institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are critical in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Zambia, there is little information regarding the capacity of hospitals to establish and implement AMS programs. The objective of this study was to conduct a baseline assessment of WHO core elements for an AMS program implementation in eight hospitals in Zambia.We conducted an exploratory cross-sectional study from September 2023 to December 2023 using a self-scoring Periodic National and Healthcare Facility Assessment Tool from the World Health Organization (WHO) policy guidance on integrated AMS activities in human health. Eight public hospitals were surveyed across the five provinces of Zambia. Data was analyzed using the WHO self-scoring tool and thematic analysis.Results: Overall, 62.5% (6/8) of the facilities scored low (below 60%) in implementing AMS programs. Most facilities had challenges with reporting AMS feedback within the hospital (average score=46%), Drugs and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) functionality (average score=49%), AMS actions (average score= 50%), education and training (average score= 54%), and leadership commitment to AMS activities (average score= 56%). The overall score for all AMS core elements was average (56%). All the hospitals (100%) did not have an allocated budget for AMS programs. Finally, there were neither antibiograms to guide antimicrobial utilization nor AMS-trained staff in more than 50% of the hospitals surveyed.Conclusions: This study found low AMS implementation in these public hospitals, especially where DTCs were non-functional. The identified challenges and gaps require urgent attention for sustainable multidisciplinary AMS programs.

    Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobial stewardship, Core elements, situation analysis, Zambia

    Received: 09 Jan 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chizimu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Joseph Y. Chizimu, Zambia National Public Health Institute, Lusaka, Zambia

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