Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on prescription patterns and antibiotic use: Insights from three military health facilities.
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial resistance
COVID-19
Prescribing
Journal
Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP
ISSN: 1934-8150
Titre abrégé: Res Social Adm Pharm
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101231974
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
28 Oct 2023
28 Oct 2023
Historique:
received:
15
06
2023
revised:
02
09
2023
accepted:
26
10
2023
medline:
3
11
2023
pubmed:
3
11
2023
entrez:
2
11
2023
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health systems globally and there are suggestions it impacted antibiotics prescribing patterns in clinical practice. This study aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prescribing patterns in three Nigerian military health facilities and investigate the factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions. This was a two-year cross-sectional retrospective study. Three hospitals and a total of 11,590 prescriptions were purposively and conveniently sampled respectively. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Network of Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) prescribing indicators were used to assess for polypharmacy, injection use, use of antibiotics, use of generic drugs and prescriptions from essential drug lists for the periods of the pandemic and before the pandemic. Indicators from both periods were compared for statistical significance using the independent t-test. Generalized linear modelling was applied to assess the factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions. The relationship between the receipt of antibiotics and independent variables was presented using incident risk ratios (IRR). Our findings showed that all five WHO/INRUD prescribing indicators were above the reference limit for the two-year study period. The study found there was a significant statistical difference between the COVID- and non-COVID-19 periods, with polypharmacy and antibiotic use indicators elevated during the pandemic compared to the latter. COVID-19 (IRR = 1.09), comorbidity (IRR = 1.74), pregnancy (IRR = 0.93), out-of-pocket payments (IRR = 1.10) and the inpatient department (IRR = 1.51) were associated with antibiotic prescriptions. This provides insight on impact of the pandemic on prescription patterns and advocates for stewardship programs in clinical settings to ensure the rational use of drugs.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health systems globally and there are suggestions it impacted antibiotics prescribing patterns in clinical practice.
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prescribing patterns in three Nigerian military health facilities and investigate the factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions.
METHODS
METHODS
This was a two-year cross-sectional retrospective study. Three hospitals and a total of 11,590 prescriptions were purposively and conveniently sampled respectively. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Network of Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) prescribing indicators were used to assess for polypharmacy, injection use, use of antibiotics, use of generic drugs and prescriptions from essential drug lists for the periods of the pandemic and before the pandemic. Indicators from both periods were compared for statistical significance using the independent t-test. Generalized linear modelling was applied to assess the factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions. The relationship between the receipt of antibiotics and independent variables was presented using incident risk ratios (IRR).
RESULTS
RESULTS
Our findings showed that all five WHO/INRUD prescribing indicators were above the reference limit for the two-year study period. The study found there was a significant statistical difference between the COVID- and non-COVID-19 periods, with polypharmacy and antibiotic use indicators elevated during the pandemic compared to the latter. COVID-19 (IRR = 1.09), comorbidity (IRR = 1.74), pregnancy (IRR = 0.93), out-of-pocket payments (IRR = 1.10) and the inpatient department (IRR = 1.51) were associated with antibiotic prescriptions.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
This provides insight on impact of the pandemic on prescription patterns and advocates for stewardship programs in clinical settings to ensure the rational use of drugs.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37919217
pii: S1551-7411(23)00465-5
doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.10.013
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.