Compliance with global action plan on antibiotic prescription and utilization: a multi-facility cross-sectional study in southern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the AWaRe classification to categorize antibiotics based on their risk of resistance and to guide appropriate antibiotic prescribing. Understanding the pattern of antibiotics prescribing can help to inform policy and practice. OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent of compliance with global action plan on antibiotic prescription and utilization in the country by assessing antibiotic prescribing patterns in selected public healthcare facilities using the WHO AWaRe classification of antibiotics. METHOD: A cross sectional study involving a 3-month review of antibiotic prescription pattern using the WHO AWaRe classification of antibiotics was carried out in 5 selected healthcare facilities in Akwa Ibom State, southern Nigeria, between September 01 and November 30, 2023. RESULTS: A total of 2,230 antibiotic prescriptions were reviewed across the 5 selected hospitals during the period of the study. The proportion of antibiotics prescribed within the Acess group of the AWaRe classification in the hospitals was 48.7% (n = 1,086), while the proportion of antibiotics prescribed within the "Watch" group was 51.3% (n = 1,144). No antibiotic was prescribed within the Reserve group across the hospitals within the period of the study. CONCLUSION: There's a lack of compliance with the WHO global action plan on antibiotic prescription and utilization as the overall prescribing of Access group antibiotics in this study falls short of the WHO recommendations. There is a need for a review of the nationwide strategy to optimize the use of antibiotics in the country. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.