{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T23:07:56Z","timestamp":1784675276872,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]],"date-time":"2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1743465600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Jimma University through the Institute of Health","award":["81294570"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81294570"]}]},{"name":"Hospital Partnership Program","award":["81294570"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81294570"]}]},{"name":"GIZ and the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development","award":["81294570"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81294570"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The discovery of antibiotics revolutionized healthcare by significantly reducing morbidity and mortality. However, excessive and inappropriate use has led to a global surge in antimicrobial resistance, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to evaluate antibiotic use patterns among inpatients at Jimma Medical Center (JMC) in Southwest Ethiopia. Methods: A longitudinal observational study was conducted in February and March 2019 at JMC, focusing on patients admitted for over 24 h who received antibiotics. Data on patient demographics, clinical indications, and antibiotics prescribed were systematically collected. Antibiotic consumption rates were measured as days of therapy (DOTs) per 100 patient-days, and utilization was classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) AWaRe (Access, Watch, and Reserve) framework. Results: A total of 384 inpatients were included, with a male predominance (53.9%) and a median age of 24 years (IQR: 5\u201337). In total, 634 antibiotic regimens were prescribed. According to the WHO AWaRe classification, 48.3% (306\/634) were \u201cAccess\u201d and 51.7% (328\/634) were \u201cWatch\u201d antibiotics. Patients were treated with antibiotics for a median duration of 4 days (IQR: 2\u20137), leading to a total of 2880 days of antibiotic therapy. Ceftriaxone was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic, with a usage rate of 44.65 DOTs per 100 patient-days. Substantial variability was observed in empirical antibiotic regimens among treating physicians and across wards. Culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) were performed for only 4.2% of patients, and none of the treatments were modified based on susceptibility data. Conclusions: The study highlights critical issues in antibiotic prescribing at JMC, including over-reliance on \u201cWatch\u201d antibiotics, predominantly ceftriaxone, limited use of AST results, and deviations from standard treatment guidelines. Addressing these challenges requires implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs, developing evidence-based local treatment guidelines, and strengthening and encouraging the use of microbiology services to improve rational antibiotic use.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14072413","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]],"date-time":"2025-04-01T11:17:57Z","timestamp":1743506277000},"page":"2413","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Antibiotic Use Patterns at Jimma Medical Center in Southwest Ethiopia: A Call for Local Antibiogram-Guided Prescription"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2299-7863","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mulatu","family":"Gashaw","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"},{"name":"CIHLMU Center for International Health, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Leopoldstrasse 5, 80802 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1517-6220","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melkamu","family":"Berhane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sisay","family":"Bekele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8373-5309","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tsegaye","family":"Melaku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gemechu","family":"Lemmi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Legese","family":"Chelkeba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1176, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tekle","family":"Wakjira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0344-784X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Getnet","family":"Tesfaw","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3418-7291","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zeleke","family":"Mekonnen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3569-9176","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arne","family":"Kroidl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 80337 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital Ludwig, Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t, 80539 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andreas","family":"Wieser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 80337 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital Ludwig, Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t, 80539 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Max von Pettenkofer-Institute (Medical Microbiology), LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research IIP, T\u00fcrkenstra\u00dfe 87, 80799 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2743-7555","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guenter","family":"Froeschl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIHLMU Center for International Health, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Leopoldstrasse 5, 80802 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 80337 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital Ludwig, Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t, 80539 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1115-3358","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thomas","family":"Seeholzer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research IIP, T\u00fcrkenstra\u00dfe 87, 80799 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5641-8797","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Solomon","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Parasitology, and Immunology, St. Paul\u2019s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1271, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6264-9695","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esayas Kebede","family":"Gudina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Aminov, R.I. (2010). A brief history of the antibiotic era: Lessons learned and challenges for the future. Front. Microbiol., 1.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2010.00134"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"i2","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/dkac211","article-title":"Relevance of the Consensus Principles for Appropriate Antibiotic Prescribing in 2022","volume":"77","author":"Akova","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Antimicrob. 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