ANTIBIOTIC RESTRICTION POLICIES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES AT PRINCE ZAID BIN AL-HUSSEIN MILITARY HOSPITAL AND PRINCE ALI BIN AL-HUSSEIN MILITARY HOSPITAL

Introduction: A major threat to global health, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) raises hospital stays, costs, and mortality rates, Applying restrictive antimicrobials policies in hospitals, where certain high-risk antibiotics need special authorization before usage, stays an important strategy to fight AMR. Although many Jordanian hospitals have implemented such rules, the majority of research to far has concentrated on individual hospitals rather than comparing practices across hospitals, these results in a lack of knowledge regarding the actual implementation of policies and their efficacy in various contexts. In order to close that gap, this study compares the antibiotic restriction policies of Prince Zaid bin Al-Hussein military Hospital and Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein military Hospital, two of Jordan's large military hospitals. Methodology: The essential method involves a comparative analysis of restricted antibiotic use between the two military hospitals, Data on the total consumption of targeted antibiotics and the corresponding total patient-days (calculated from admissions and bed occupancy) will be collected then This will allow for the calculation and comparison of a standardized consumption rate (using the metric DDD/100 patient-days) for each institution, In parallel, the total acquisition cost for these drugs will be compiled and compared, The analysis will then integrate these findings, examining the relationship between consumption rate and financial cost to provide a clear, brief evaluation of both usage patterns and economic outcomes. Results: Imipenem/Cilastatin (1 g) was the most dispensed restricted antibiotic in both hospitals, Ali Hospital had higher annual bed occupancy 49,802 bed-days compared to Zaid Hospital 14,601 bed-days, After standardizing consumption, the rates of antibiotic use per 100 bed-days were similar between the two hospitals. The financial analysis revealed the cost per DDD is identical for each antibiotic in both hospitals, but Imipenem/Cilastatin representing the highest cost driver, Zaid Hospital established higher costs per 100 bed-days for all antibiotics. Conclusion: Although Ali Hospital dispensed a higher number of restricted antibiotic vials, the adjusted consumption rates and associated costs per 100 bed-days were very similar between Ali and Zaid hospitals. Imipenem/cilastatin was the most frequently used restricted antibiotic and the major contributor to financial burden in both institutions; these findings indicate comparable prescribing patterns.