{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T10:11:35Z","timestamp":1788948695242,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004252","name":"Qatar University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["QUST-1-CPH-2025-219"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["QUST-1-CPH-2025-219"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004252","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004252","name":"Qatar University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["QUDSG-QUHealth-2026-1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["QUDSG-QUHealth-2026-1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004252","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["QUST-1-CPH-2025-219"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["QUST-1-CPH-2025-219"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00yhnba62","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["QUDSG-QUHealth-2026-1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["QUDSG-QUHealth-2026-1"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00yhnba62","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antibiotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The prescription of aerosolized antimicrobial agents for lower respiratory tract infections varies significantly among clinicians. This study investigated the practices and perceptions of clinicians regarding aerosolized antimicrobial therapy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among infectious diseases (ID) and critical care clinicians (physicians and clinical pharmacists) in eight acute care hospitals in Qatar using a validated and pretested self-administered online questionnaire. Data was collected between September and October 2025, and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The majority of the respondents were physicians (70.5%), and about one-third (31.8%) had more than 15 years of work experience. A vast majority (97.7%) had previously prescribed or recommended aerosolized antimicrobial agents. Some respondents (34.1%) reported using aerosolized antimicrobial agents at least once every three months. The indications for aerosolized antimicrobial prescribing were for the treatment of bacterial infections (86.4%) and prophylaxis against bacterial infections (38.6%). Aerosolized antimicrobials were used for the treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (68.2%), cystic fibrosis (61.4%) and ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis (34.1%). Gentamicin (88.6%) and colistin (72.7%) were the most frequently used aerosolized antimicrobial agents. The majority (88.6%) of the respondents combined aerosolized antimicrobial agents with systemic antimicrobial agents, 65.9% of whom combined different antimicrobials for aerosolized and systemic routes. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (97.7%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (56.8%) were the most common microorganisms treated with aerosolized antimicrobial agents. Most respondents (61.4%) did not provide pre-treatment prior to aerosolized antimicrobial therapy. However, 38.6% used bronchodilators for pre-treatment. Bronchospasm (79.5%) and hypoxemia (20.5%) were the adverse effects reported by the respondents. Some respondents (40.9%) strongly agreed\/agreed that aerosolized antimicrobial therapy improves clinical and microbial cure rates. While 81.8% strongly agreed\/agreed that aerosolized antimicrobial therapy reduces systemic toxicity. Practices and perceptions varied significantly between ID and critical care specialties, and between physicians and pharmacists. Conclusions: Clinicians need training on aerosolized antimicrobial therapy for lower respiratory tract infections. Immunosuppression, renal function and infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms were reported by clinicians as factors that influenced their decision to use aerosolized antimicrobial therapy. A protocol for the administration of aerosolized antimicrobial therapy is recommended.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics15090882","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T09:24:02Z","timestamp":1788945842000},"page":"882","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Practices and Perceptions of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Clinicians Regarding Aerosolized Antimicrobial Therapy in the State of Qatar: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Noran Magdy","family":"Zahran","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"funding-acquisition","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Usman","family":"Abubakar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"software","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"validation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"funding-acquisition","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Asmaa Ezzeldin Mohd.","family":"Mohamed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Hani","family":"Jaouni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Critical Care Department, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar"},{"name":"College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Sayed Tarique","family":"Kazi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Critical Care Department, Al-Wakra Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4547-2370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muna","family":"Al-Maslamani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar"},{"name":"Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar"},{"name":"Communicable Disease Center, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.1186\/s13613-017-0301-6","article-title":"Nebulized antibiotics in mechanically ventilated patients: A challenge for translational research from technology to clinical care","volume":"7","author":"Ehrmann","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ann. Intensive Care"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"730","DOI":"10.1164\/rccm.202402-0437CP","article-title":"Aerosolized antibiotic therapy in mechanically ventilated patients","volume":"210","author":"Ehrmann","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gorham, J., Taccone, F.S., and Hites, M. (2023). 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Agents"}],"container-title":["Antibiotics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-6382\/15\/9\/882\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T10:02:49Z","timestamp":1788948169000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-6382\/15\/9\/882"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"references-count":29,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["antibiotics15090882"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/antibiotics15090882","relation":{},"ISSN":["2079-6382"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2079-6382","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]}}}