Antibiotic prescribing and the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana: a pilot study.

Mansa Fredua‐Agyeman ,Blessing Onwukwe ,Nii Armah Adu‐Aryee

doi:10.3855/jidc.11259

Abstract

This study sought to identify the association of antibiotic prescribing and the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Ghana. Patients from the Male Urology Ward and Treatment Room of the Surgical Department of KBTH were followed up over three months to determine if they had experienced any unusual diarrhoeal illness after antibiotic therapy. 81 eligible patients (adults) were included in the study but a total of 70 patients (mean age of 56.71 years) were successfully followed up during the study period. The top conditions presented by patients were urological infection (66.7%), cancer (15.3%) and leg ulcer (18.1%). Ciprofloxacin (50%) and ceftriaxone (28.5%) were the most prescribed antibiotics. Eleven patients (more than 1 in 7) developed diarrhoea that could be associated with their use of antibiotics. The occurrence of AAD was significantly associated with type of antibiotic used by patient. 73% of patients who developed symptoms of AAD had received Clindamycin. Risk of AAD was not significantly associated with age and comorbidities. The rate of AAD in the Male Urology Ward and the Treatment Room of the Surgical Department of KBTH during the period of this study was 15.7%. Clindamycin was identified as the most implicated antibiotic.

Highlights

This study sought to identify the association of antibiotic prescribing and the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Ghana
Main Results Majority of the patients asserted, upon follow-up, that they had adhered to their antibiotic therapy and all other medications they had been given upon discharge
Three of these patients were from the Treatment Room and were suffering from foot ulcers and the rest were from the Male Urology Ward

Summary

Introduction

This study sought to identify the association of antibiotic prescribing and the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Ghana. Methodology: Patients from the Male Urology Ward and Treatment Room of the Surgical Department of KBTH were followed up over three months to determine if they had experienced any unusual diarrhoeal illness after antibiotic therapy. Conclusions: The rate of AAD in the Male Urology Ward and the Treatment Room of the Surgical Department of KBTH during the period of this study was 15.7%. Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) is a common side effect of antibiotic therapy. It refers to unusual diarrhoeal illness which occurs during or after antibiotic therapy [1]. It results from an imbalance in the colonic microbiota caused by the antibiotic therapy. Implicating enteropathogens in AAD include Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile, Enterotoxin-producing Clostridium perfringens, Klebsiella oxytoca, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp and Candida spp [5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion