Antibiotic Use Among Hospitalized Adult Patients in a Setting with Limited Laboratory Infrastructure in Freetown Sierra Leone, 2017-2018

The authors found high rates of antibiotic use, of which a large fraction was not based on laboratory evidence. Lack of oversight and microbiological support are drivers of poor prescribing in many developing countries, which lack financial resources and serve a sicker population. Greater investments are needed to establish antimicrobial stewardship program and provide clinicians with diagnostic support to enable improvements in patient outcomes and curb the spread of antibiotic resistance.