Prescribing patterns of antibiotics according to the WHO AWaRe Classification at a Teaching Hospital in Jordan

Background
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing global health challenges today, with inappropriate and overuse of antibiotics being a primary driver. In outpatient settings, particularly in family medicine clinics, empirical antibiotic prescriptions for common infections have contributed significantly to this issue.

Objectives
This study aims to analyze antibiotic prescription patterns at the family medicine clinics of Jordan University Hospital during 2023, utilizing the World Health Organization (WHO) AWaRe classification system.

Material and methods
This was a retrospective observational study based on reviewing all antibiotic prescriptions in the records of family medicine clinics at Jordan University Hospital from January 2023 to December 2023. Antibiotic prescriptions were then categorized according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification system to explore the pattern of prescribing.

Results
It was shown that the percentage of Access antibiotics (51%) was slightly higher than the percentage of Watch antibiotics (49%). Among the Access groups, the combination of amoxicillin/clavulanate was the most frequently prescribed with a total of 2,108 prescriptions (36.7%). Among the Watch group, azithromycin had the highest percentage of prescriptions (29.8%). A significant association was observed between prescribing patterns and both the season of the year and patients’ age group.

Conclusions
This study reveals significant misalignments with WHO antibiotic prescribing targets, particularly the underutilization of Access antibiotics and over-reliance on Watch antibiotics. Conclusions. Special emphasis on optimizing the prescribing of antibiotics is needed during the winter season and among elderly patients.