PAN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LIFE SCIENCES
e-ISSN: 2672-5924
Volume 9, No. 2, August 2025
Pages 431-438
DOI: 10.36108/pajols/5202/90.0240
A Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Use Among Hospitalized Patients in UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo
Abolaji T. Adeyemo1*, Abimbola O. Odeyemi1,2 Adeyemi T. Adeyemo3, Anifat O. Oladele4, Funso A. Olagunju2, Abosede G. Adeyeye6, Aderonke O. Ayilara1, Emmanuel O. Folami7, Babatunde A. Afolabi8, Ifeyinwa N. Nwafia9.
1Department of Medical Microbiology, UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
2Department of Paediatrics, Osun State University, Nigeria.
3Department of Medical Microbiology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
4Public Health Department, Osun State University, Nigeria.
6Department of Internal Medicine, Osun State University, Nigeria.
7Department of Anaesthesia, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria.
8Department of Family Medicine, UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria.
9Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant public health challenge driven by inappropriate and excessive antibiotic use, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study assessed antimicrobial prescribing patterns at UN-IOSUN Teaching Hospital (UTH), Osogbo, using a Point Prevalence Survey (PPS) approach.
Methods: A point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted in October 2024 at UTH using the Global Point Prevalence Sur-vey of Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (GLOBAL-PPS) methodology. All the 114 hospitalized patients admitted before 8 am on the day of the survey were included. Data collected included the patients’ demographic data, antimicrobial type and duration, antibiotic indication, infection type (community or healthcare-associated), and other relevant clinical data. Analysis was done using SPSS version 24 for descriptive statistics.
Results: Among the 114 admitted patients, 71 (62.3%) were on antimicrobials, with a higher prevalence in pediatric (children) wards (93.8%) compared to adult wards (54.3%). Third-generation cephalosporins and imidazole derivatives were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. For surgical prophylaxis, 80% of patients received antibiotics for more than one day. Empirical therapy was predominant: 84.4% in healthcare-associated infections and 77.8% in community-acquired infec-tions. Obstetric/gynecological infections (21.9%) and pneumonia (12.5%) were the leading indications for therapeutic anti-microbial use. Over half (55%) of prescribed antibiotics were from the Watch category, exceeding WHO recommendations.
Conclusion: Broad-spectrum and watch antibiotics, empirical prescribing, and prolonged prophylaxis highlight key gaps in stewardship and diagnostic capacity. These findings reinforce the need for targeted stewardship interventions and improved infection control at UTH and similar settings.
Keywords: Antimicrobial Use, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antibiotic Stewardship, Empirical Therapy, Point Preva-lence Survey.