EVALUATION OF THE RATE OF PRESCRIPTION OF CARBAPENEMS IN EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL.

ABSTRACT Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health problem that is fueled by the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics, especially those from the ‘watch’ and ‘reserve’ antibiotic lists. The irrational prescribing of antibiotics is particularly prevalent in developing countries, including Nigeria. This study evaluated the prescribing patterns of antibiotics using the WHO prescribing indicators alongside the ‘access, watch and reserve’ (AWaRe) classification system at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) in Ekiti State. A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2024 to December 2024 involving the review of medical records at EKSUTH. A WHO-validated tool was used to evaluate antibiotic prescribing patterns alongside the AWaRe classification tool. Out of 300 medical records reviewed, 2003 medicines were prescribed. Each patient received an average of 2.5 medicines per prescription. Antibiotics were prescribed in 72.3% of encounters. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin at 45% (access), metronidazole 33% (access), ciprofloxacin 15%(watch) as compared to the least prescribed at 0.6% for Nitrofurantoin (Access). Carbapenem antibiotics had a prescription rate 4.2% for Erterpenem and 6.3% for Imipenem with 14.3% overall prevalence. Encouragingly, 96.5% of the medicines were prescribed by their generic names and 98% were from the Essential Medicines List. There were high rates of antibiotic prescribing and it is crucial to implement targeted measures, including antimicrobial stewardship programmes, to improve future antibiotic prescribing in Ekiti State and reduce the risk of AMR.