Background and Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat that results from misuse and overuse of antimicrobials. The Department of Health (DOH) institutionalized the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Program in hospitals, based on the core elements (1) Leadership, (2) Policies, Guidelines, and Pathways, (3) Surveillance Antimicrobial Use (AMU) & AMR, (4) Action, (5) Education, and (6) Performance Evaluation to ensure rational use of antimicrobials and improve patient outcomes. The program implementation will require the involvement of the AMS clinical pharmacist to positively influence the success of the program’s implementation. This study aims to identify the enablers and challenges as perceived by AMS clinical pharmacists in the implementation of an AMS program in a level 3 hospital in Manila. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study design was employed by administering an online 50-item survey questionnaire to AMS pharmacists, who have at least six (6) months of experience as an AMS pharmacist in the hospital. The survey questionnaire was validated by an expert consultant and underwent pre-testing (Cronbach α = 0.983) for acceptable internal consistency. Responses were collated, coded, and analyzed using median values and frequency distributions for each questionnaire item per Department of Health (DOH) Core Element. Items garnering a median of >3.50 up to 5 were considered as perceived enablers, while those ≤3.50 were identified as perceived challenges. Results: Some perceived enablers by the AMS pharmacists include presence of a leader and/or clinician in the AMS team, Information Technology (IT) resource availability, clear roles of AMS pharmacists, readily available hospital AMS guidelines, engagement in AMR and AMU surveillance activities, regular performance of AMS interventions (e.g., IV-to-PO conversion, dose optimization, de-escalation of broad spectrum), regular monitoring and evaluating of prescriptions and prescribing behavior, and continuous education on infection, prevention, and control (IPC) and hygiene. On the other hand, some perceived challenges include insufficient funding, inadequate knowledge in interpreting antibiograms, lack of adequate and specialized training sessions, lack of coordination with medical and nursing staff to ensure timely drug administration and automatic stop order, prescribing of non-Philippine National Formulary (PNF) antimicrobials, lack of time to perform AMS activities, lack of qualified personnel, and lack of hospital management and information technology (IT) support. Conclusion Empowering AMS clinical pharmacists is vital to addressing the perceived challenges and maximizing the perceived enablers to ensure the successful implementation of the AMS program in the hospital.
Antimicrobial Stewardship

Background: Based on the 2017-2020 annual report of the Department of Health-Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program, significant resistance patterns have been observed for common disease-causing pathogens. In the hospital setting, antimicrobial stewardship programs have been implemented to optimize the use of antimicrobials. Drug utilization review studies provide essential feedback to improve prescribing and use of medications. Objectives: This study aimed to review drug utilization of monitored parenteral antimicrobials among patients admitted from January to December 2019. Methods: The study employed a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive research design. A retrospective chart review of drugs administered to patients was conducted. : Results. A total of 821 patients charts met the inclusion criteria. The patients’ ages ranged from 18 to 98 years old and 52% were females. General Internal Medicine practitioners (28%) were the top prescribers of monitored parenteral antimicrobials primarily for the management of moderate-risk community-acquired pneumonia (39%). They were mostly indicated for empirical treatment of infections (94%) and were given for an average of 5.73 days. Only 58% of the total cases had orders for culture and sensitivity testing. Of which, principally 47% had colony cultures. Blood (29%) and sputum (27%) were the most common specimens taken for culture and sensitivity testing. The microorganisms often isolated were Escherichia coli (19%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18%), and Staphylococcus aureus (9%). In addition, extended-spectrum beta lactamase-producing gram-negative pathogens (4%) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (1%) were also isolated. All the microorganisms isolated showed most resistance to ampicillin (81%) and most susceptibility to colistin (100%). There were drug therapy-related problems encountered. There was one case of an adverse drug reaction (0.1%) and two cases of contraindications (0.2%). Therapeutic duplication was also observed in 5% of the cases. Moreover, 39% had instances of drug-drug interactions.Piperacillin-tazobactam had the highest consumption (79.50 defined daily doses/1,000-patient days) among the monitored parenteral antimicrobials. Some prescriptions were deemed inappropriate upon evaluation. 12% of cases were inappropriate based on the justification indicator. As for the critical indicators, duration of therapy (78%) was the main reason. Only four components of the DUE criteria indicators have met or exceeded the established threshold level.The cost analysis indicated that the total actual cost of therapy with the monitored parenteral antimicrobials amounted to ₱17,645,601.73. Considering Department of Health National Antibiotic Guidelines recommenda-tions, ideal total cost of treatment was ₱14,917,214.29. Potential cumulative cost savings of ₱2,728,387.44 could have been achieved for patients admitted last 2019. Conclusion Consumption of piperacillin-tazobactam was relatively high as compared to the other monitored parenteral antimicrobials covered in this study. Physicians at the study site seldom prescribe monitored parenteral antimicrobials as recommended by the National Antibiotic Guidelines. This is evidenced in the incidence of inappropriate therapy regimens, with inapt duration of therapy as the leading explanation.From the patient’s perspective, the main economic implication was on the direct medical costs, particularly the increased cost of the actual antimicrobial therapy prescribed to manage various infections. Adherence of physicians to the established guidelines and selection of the most cost-effective therapy could have resulted in considerable cost savings.
Drug Utilization Review ; Antimicrobial Stewardship

Objectives: This study aims to determine the healthcare workers’ (HCWs) attitudes, perceptions, and practices regarding Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) at the Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a validated online survey. Results: The study included 288 healthcare workers, predominantly female (77.35% ) and aged 31-40 years (47.74%), with physicians being the largest professional group (57.14%). HCWs had positive attitudes toward AMS. They perceived moderate to high antimicrobial resistance (AMR) levels in different contexts but believed the hospital had lower AMR levels than the country. HCWs agreed that AMR impacts antimicrobial choices, patient outcomes, and safety. Contributors to AMR were prescribing inappropriate antimicrobials, unnecessary prescriptions, poor patient adherence, and inadequate infection control measures. HCWs, except medical technologists, were aware of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) and its interventions. Only nurses and pharmacists were aware of the hospital policies against AMR. Barriers to AMS implementation include inadequate training in antimicrobial use, lack of infectious disease/ microbiology services, lack of electronic medication management services, and personnel shortages. HCWs had high self-reported AMS practices, but a practice gap in single-dose surgical antibiotic prophylaxis was identified, with low physician adherence (50.6%). Conclusion This study revealed positive attitudes and high self-reported AMS practices among HCWs. They also perceived moderate to high AMR in different contexts but believed that the hospital has lower AMR levels than the country. Addressing the identified barriers to implementation and practice gaps is crucial for achieving antimicrobial stewardship goals.
Antimicrobial Stewardship ; Viperidae ; Health Personnel

Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Antimicrobial Stewardship ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal