Work

Evaluation of infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship programs at a tertiary-care hospital in Southwest Ethiopia: An opportunity to leverage the synergy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Effective infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are essential components of hospitals. This study aims to evaluate the status of IPC and ASPs at Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC), a tertiary care hospital, in Southwest Oromia, Ethiopia. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in two parts. In part one, data on the core components of IPC were collected using the WHO Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF) tool. The hospital's IPC level was determined based on the total scores for the core components. In part two, ASP assessment tool was used to gather data on the core elements of ASPs, and the hospital's ASP status was determined based on the total scores. Results: The overall IPC scores of JUMC was 455, corresponding to an intermediate level. The highest scores were observed for the IPC program (70), monitoring and feedback of IPC practices (67.5), and multimodal strategies (65). The lowest scores were for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) surveillance (25) and IPC education and training (50). Regarding ASPs, the overall score was 51.2%, indicating a moderate level of ASP. Significant gaps were found in ASP core elements; education (0%), tracking antibiotic use (27.3%) and hospital leadership commitment (42.9%). Conclusions: The IPC and ASP programs at JUMC are performing at intermediate and moderate levels, respectively. Attention is required to strengthen HAIs surveillance, tracking of antibiotic uses, and education and training. The overlap between IPC and ASPs presents an opportunity for future collaborative efforts to enhance both programs.

Source: Infection Prevention in Practice

DOI: 10.1016/j.infpip.2025.100489