Status of Antimicrobial Stewardship Implementation in Selected Egyptian Hospitals: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship aims to stop or slow the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant strains. Following the launch of Egypt's National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, numerous hospitals took steps to adopt ASP, but no formal assessments were conducted. Objectives: The goal of this study is to determine the extent to which ASP is used, as well as stewardship understanding and implementation, in several Egyptian hospitals. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out to measure stewardship knowledge and execution, from June to July 2020, in various Egyptian hospitals. The hospital description, ASP committee, ASP activities, reporting antibiotic use, antibiogram, information technology support, ASP restriction techniques, and future ASP application were all covered in the survey. Results: The study covered a variety of hospitals, the majority of which (61.8%) adopted an ASP program while others (38.2%) did not; at the time of the study, 71.4 % of the latter were planning to implement an ASP program in the future. Twenty-two institutions (48.5 %) said they routinely use facility-specific antibiograms. Antimicrobial reports were received on a regular basis by thirteen hospitals (37.1%). Fifteen hospitals (42.9%) said they were already using one or more computer applications. Resistance trends, infection rates, duration of stay, mortality rate, and reported adverse drug reactions were all monitored at the hospitals. Only 20% of the hospitals in this study had an ASP training program. Conclusion: Egyptian hospitals have a good ASP implementation; however, IT support programs, cooperation between healthcare members, monitoring outcomes, and infectious disease consultations are still needed.