A Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Use Among Hospitalized Patients in UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo

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 infections. 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.